


The First Time

by CarleeAdison



Series: The Murder Suspect [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Child Abuse, First Crush, M/M, Prequel, Summer Romance, Violence, also works as a stand-alone, mentions of mental diseases
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-13 12:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3381950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarleeAdison/pseuds/CarleeAdison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Bianca's death, before he was a wanted man, before he fell for Jason, fourteen year old Nico di Angelo met Luke Castellan. As a young teenager barely able to come to terms with his own sexuality, Nico has to decide what he really wants from life, and Luke just may be able to help him. </p><p>A prequel to The Murder Suspect, but can also be read as a stand-alone, individual story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Here is the Luke and Nico prequel you never thought to ask for but got anyway! To be honest, I hadn’t originally planned on making this, but I am glad that I did. I think learning about Nico’s past is going to really enhance the story. And pay attention, because some of the things included here may come up later. Also, this was originally meant to be a one-shot but I had too many damn ideas so now it’s a two-shot. The second half will probably not go up until after the next chapter of Murder Suspect. Okay, I’ll let you read now. Oh, and happy birthday to my good friend Diane aka hetalianninja aka HimekoUchia aka artemis-red, you inspired this whole idea.

Nico just knew that his day was going to end poorly. Most of his peers had been dying to finish eighth grade, but Nico? Nico would rather bang his head against a wall repeatedly.

First of all, today was the last day of school. Other fourteen year olds prepared excitedly for three uninterrupted months of freedom, but Nico felt as if he was being moved from a detention center into a prison. School may have sucked, but it was still better than Nico’s alternative. Summer meant more hours at home and more opportunities for Nico to do something to upset his father. Set the table wrong? Time for the belt. Forgot to restock the toilet paper in the bathrooms? The belt. Slept in too late? The belt. Showing any weakness at all? Belt. If he was lucky.

Not quite as awful, but certainly more pressing of an issue, however, was the matter of “senior buddies.” Now, Nico did not know _who_ had come up with the concept of pairing up every rising freshman with a rising senior from their neighborhood high school and forcing them to become friends over the summer, but Nico had a few choice things to say to that person. No sane high school senior would ever choose to associate with a freshman, and if they did they certainly wouldn’t stoop as low as Nico. Whoever ended up stuck with Nico would probably try to resign immediately. After all, they hadn’t signed up to entertain a nearly friendless loser.

Nico sighed and slumped lower in his chair while the principal gave this bogus speech over the intercom about how proud she was of all her little ducklings. Yes, she really did refer to the students as ducklings, Nico could not make this crap up if he tried. At least one good thing would come out of finishing middle school—he would never have to deal with Mrs. Gottschalk again.

“And I look forward to seeing all of my eighth graders at tonight’s graduation mixer! Your teacher should be passing around papers with the name of your senior buddy as we speak. I’m sure they all can’t _wait_ to meet you,” Gottschalk cooed.

Yeah, Nico highly doubted _that._ Alabaster, Nico’s only friend who didn’t share his blood, rolled his eyes and gave Nico a look that said “what a load of crap.”

During all of this, Nico’s teacher had begun going around the room, handing each student a slip of white paper. Alabaster yawned and checked his phone. Nico tried to swallow the huge lump forming in his throat. He could see it now. His high school mentor, some cool, self-assured seventeen year old, staring at Nico with barely hidden contempt, promising that they would become great friends over the summer and never following through... It was miracle enough that three people liked Nico—even if two of them were related to him—and the possibility that some soon-to-be-senior would become person number four was laughable.

The teacher handed out slips to Alabaster and then Nico, who considered just burning it. He could always pretend his family moved to India.

Heaving a deep sigh, Nico unfolded the paper and found the name _Luke Castellan_ written in his teacher’s slanted, thin writing. Luke, a boy. _Great,_ Nico thought miserably. With his luck, this Luke guy would be hot. Hot and completely indifferent to Nico’s existence. Nico wasn’t quite sure how he felt about boys, or maybe he was, but he didn’t like to think about it. He couldn’t deny that they were beautiful, though. Alabaster and other guys his age were following after girls with their eyes, admiring their long hair and graceful curves and glossed lips. Nico had never cared much about how girls looked. Some of them were really pretty, sure, but that had never phased Nico. He preferred strong arms and broad shoulders and deep voices and just… boys.

That terrified him. As if he hadn’t given his father enough reasons to resent him over the years. He couldn’t be—there was no way he was—

Even thinking the word was impossible.

“So? What’s your mentor’s name?” Alabaster prodded, leaning over.

“Luke Castellan, I’ve never heard of him. Yours?”

“Kelli Empousa. Kelli is a hot girl name, don’t you think? And did you really expect to have a mentor that you _had_ heard of? You don’t talk to anyone.”

Nico probably would have been more offended if it weren’t mostly true. The only high schoolers Nico had ever talked to were his sister and her friends, and even they mostly shrugged him off. Only Bianca _really_ talked to him, and Nico didn’t think she counted, considering they were siblings.

“I doubt he’ll like me,” Nico said, ripping the paper slip in half, right down the middle of the S in Castellan.

“You’re so negative all the time. You know, if you stopped immediately counting yourself out you’d probably make more friends.”

Nico ignored him. Alabaster loved to tell Nico how to live his life, but he didn’t understand what being Nico was actually like. “Seventeen year olds don’t want to talk to fourteen year olds.”

Alabaster shrugged. “Yeah, that’s maybe true. But if you’re lucky, they’ll try to make you their little prodigy or something. Maybe this Luke guy will take you under his wing.”

“And what about Kelli?”

“Maybe she’ll think I’m cute and kissable,” Alabaster smirked.

Nico wasn’t amused, however. He didn’t want to be some high school guy’s pet project, nor did he intend to spend any more time with this Luke guy than necessary, even if he was—no e _specially_ if he was—hot.

 

…

 

When Nico got home from school he found Bianca and his mother sitting together on the couch, each with a book in hand.

“Buone vacanze, Amore,” his mother chimed, pushing back a strand of dark curly hair and smiling at her son.

“Grazie, mamma,” Nico replied, humoring his mother’s preference for Italian. Even after over twenty years in the United States, Maria di Angelo still liked to act like she was fresh off the boat.

“Did you have a good day at school?” Bianca asked, setting her book down beside her. While very gifted in writing and reading, Bianca did not excel in speaking their mother’s native tongue.

“Not like we did anything, I was exempt from my tests,” he dropped his backpack on the floor, falling into the nearest chair. The walk home had been miserably hot, and sweat still stuck his shirt to his chest. He’d have to shower before the stupid mentor mixer. Nico may have been a loser, but he didn’t want Luke to think he was a loser who smelled bad.

“Did you get the name of your buddy person?” His mother asked, leaning forward with interest. Bianca mirrored her movement.

“Yeah, his name is Luke Castellan. You know him, B?”

“Not personally, but I’ve seen him around. He’s this tall soccer player. Seems nice enough.”

 _Oh great_ , thought Nico, _an athlete_. Jock types never looked twice at Nico. Apparently even taking the time to bully Nico was too much for them, so anyone who played any kind of sport simply acted like Nico didn’t exist at all. Fine by Nico, it wasn’t like he wanted to be their friend anyway.

“Il mio Nico, so big and grown,” his mother said, her wavering voice suggesting that tears were not far away.

Nico nearly laughed. He barely passed for five and a half feet tall and calling him scrawny would be a compliment. Big and grown? Last month Nico had been mistaken for a freaking twelve year old, for crying out loud.

“Whatever you say, Mom,” he shrugged. “I’m going to go to my room, okay?”

“Sure, just make sure it’s clean in there. You know how your father gets when you haven’t cleaned your room.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Nico did not need to be reminded. The scars on his back did the remembering for him.

 

…

 

Ironic. That’s what these annual eighth grade “mentor mixers” were. Ironic. A mere four hours into summer and all of the eighth graders had to go _back_ to school? A school, mind you, that they had all _just_ graduated from. It could almost be considered cruel.

Whoever had been in charge of transforming the gym into a party atmosphere certainly hadn’t put much effort in. The lights had to be kept on so everyone could see each other and find their “buddy,” meaning the only thing creating any sort of ambiance was the plethora of tacky colored balloons and some cheap streamers. Magnificent. What a party.

So here was the deal with this whole mentor mixer thing: Future seniors and future freshmen gathered in the middle school gym, all wearing stupid nametags that the students had to personally decorate. The seniors all had a name and a picture of their mentee, so they knew who to look for in the crowd. The future freshmen, however, only had the name to go off of and would just sort of stand awkwardly until their new senior buddy found them. Then, after an hour or so long reception in the gym, all of the students, fourteen and seventeen year olds alike, left the middle school and made a ceremonial six block walk to the high school the former eighth graders would all be attending come fall, and the celebration would continue.

Not exactly Nico’s idea of fun. He hated being surrounded by so many people. He especially hated the way they would casually brush against him, or step on his foot. Every unintentional elbow jab made him jump. Every wild gesture made him flinch.

Crowds. Nico hated crowds.

Good thing he lived in New York, right?

Alabaster had already found his buddy, and whaddya know, she really was a cheerleader after all. Nico knew what his friend would be dreaming about when he went to sleep later.

Nico figured he could be like the other kids awkwardly standing around him and pull out his phone—maybe it would make him seem less lame—but realized that the only way that would possibly make him look less alone was if he actually had someone _to_ text. He settled for sipping nervously on some fruit punch instead.

“Are you my guy?” A smooth, friendly voice asked. Nico looked up from his cup and found that he had company. The owner of the voice was a tall, blond male with some of the lightest blue eyes Nico had ever seen and a bright, charming smile.

“Wh—what?” Nico stuttered, still caught up in the newcomer’s eyes. His face felt hot, which meant that Nico was probably blushing like an idiot. Naturally.

“Are you Nico? Because if not, I’m about to feel really stupid.”

“I’m Nico,” Nico replied immediately. “Who wants to know?”

“Oh,” the blond smacked his forehead. “I should have maybe started with that, huh?” He pointed at his nametag. “I’m Luke Castellan.”

 _Yes you are,_ Nico almost blurted.

This was bad.  Bad bad bad. Awful. Terrible.

He was so good looking. Luke made being attractive seem like the most casual thing in the world. He wore a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top buttons undone. His jeans were faded and distressed in the good way that people apparently considered stylish.

“Nico di Angelo,” Nico declared without thinking. “But I guess you already figured that part out.”

Wow, this was actually going worse than Nico had expected. He doubted Alabaster would react this way to Luke. Though, Nico knew in his heart that he was not like Alabaster. Pair Nico with Kelli the cheerleader and he wouldn’t have been at all phased by it.

Despite Nico’s obvious loser status, Luke’s responding grin seemed genuine. “I took a guess,” he admitted. “It helps that you were wearing the same shirt in your picture. Nice to meet you.” Luke held out his hand for Nico to shake. Nico froze—whether out of a hesitance of physical contact in general or physical contact with Luke, he did not know.

He sucked in a breath and shook the blond’s hand once, aware that his hand was likely clammy and gross. If it was, Luke didn’t let on.

“So, high school, yeah? Are you excited about it?”

“That depends. Is it really worth the excitement?” Nico replied, trying to shake off the weird feeling stirring inside of him and at least carry on a conversation for the full two minutes it would take Luke to get bored with him.

The older boy laughed. “ _That_ depends. What are you into?”

“What?” The smaller boy’s eyes widened. Was he asking about Nico’s sexuality?

“Do you do any after school activities? Theatre, sports, student council?”

Nico relaxed slightly. He needed to get a grip on this paranoia thing. If he wasn’t careful, Nico would end up giving himself away.

“No, I don’t do anything like that,” he admitted. Really, did Nico look like the type? With his endlessly black wardrobe and meek stature, the only club Nico looked like he belonged to was the somewhat-depressed-kids-with-barely-any-friends society.

“Ah, so you’re the studious type, then,” Luke surmised. Nico thought that was a polite way to put it.

“I guess you could say that,” he allowed. “So, what? I’m totally screwed then?”

Luke shook his head, surprise filling his blue eyes. “No, of course not! Grades are important. I’m sure a lot of the seniors here wished they’d been more studious. Myself included,” he laughed again.

Oh, right. An athlete. Luke probably could care less about the actual school part of school. Though, even as he thought it, Nico found himself doubting that statement’s truth. Something about Luke seemed different to Nico. It was hard to imagine him into the typical jock stereotype. A typical jock wouldn’t be laughing with Nico and smiling at him like he was legitimately interested in the conversation.

Wow, Luke was smiling at him.  Just smiling at him for no apparent reason. Nico’s stomach felt weird and fluttery inside.

_Cut it out, damn it!_

“Soccer keeps you busy, I guess,” Nico said. The blond’s eyebrows drew together, and he reached up to rub his chin, but the smile remained on his face in the form of a smirk.

“I never mentioned playing soccer. Did you mention me to one of these guys? I promise they’re crazy and if they mentioned the time I accidently kneed myself in the face, don’t believe them.”

Nico definitely knew he was blushing. “Oh, no I didn’t talk to any of these people. That’s interesting though, about the knee thing. My sister just mentioned you played soccer. She’s going to be a junior next year.”

If Nico didn’t know any better, he’d think Luke’s face looked a little pink as well. “In that case, forget what I just told you. Who is your sister?”

“Her name is Bianca di Angelo, you probably don’t know her.”

“You’re right,” Luke confessed, but he _did_ seem upset about the fact. “I’ll have to look for her around the halls next year. Or who knows, maybe I’ll meet her this summer, since you and I will be hanging out and stuff.”

Had Nico misheard him? Luke actually intended to be friends with Nico? There was no way… “You um, you don’t have to hang out with me if you don’t want. I know that I’m weird, and I’m really not that fun to be around, so I won’t tell. I know most of you guys don’t take this too seriously, anyway.”

It was better for him to allow Luke to back down than to be rejected by him later, right?

Only, Luke didn’t seem to agree with Nico’s logic. His smile turned immediately into a frown, the happy squint to his eyes disappeared. “I don’t know what gave you the idea that I’m looking to back out of this, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to, Nico. I _do_ take this seriously. And I think it’s cool that you’re different. Normal people are so dull. Although if you don’t want to be my friend, then I guess I can’t force you to hang out with me. But you could at least give me a chance, right?”

The gym was louder than ever, but as far as Nico was concerned, Luke was the only other person in the room. The look in those light eyes—so genuine—stole Nico’s breath away. The sound of hundreds of voices became no more than a dull roar. The erratic beating of Nico’s heart felt like thunder in his chest, so intense that he wondered if Luke was aware of it, too. Somehow, out of all the seniors Nico could have been assigned to, he’d gotten perhaps the only one of them who actually cared about getting to know him. Luke _cared._ Luke wanted to be his friend. He _actually_ wanted to be his friend.

Nico had never, not once, considered this outcome. And it nearly rendered him speechless.

“I—,” his mouth felt stuffed with cotton. “I think I’d like to try being friends,” he mumbled.

This time, when Luke smiled, Nico smiled back at him.

 

…

 

“You’re home late,” Nico’s father greeted gruffly as Nico came through the door just after ten o’clock.

“Tonight was the party to celebrate the end of eighth grade, where we met our mentors,” Nico explained, not in the mood to deal with his father after the good night he’d had.

“I don’t remember you asking me. Did you ask me, Nicky?”

Nico averted his eyes. Whenever Hades mockingly used Bianca’s childhood nickname for him, Nico knew to be wary. Normally it was a sign that his father was about to blow up.

“Mom knew where I was, she was okay with it,” he muttered, turning his head away. Nico’s father appeared seemingly out of thin air, digging his fingers tightly into Nico’s jaw and eliciting a hiss of pain from the teenager.

“Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you.” Hades shoved Nico back roughly, practically throwing him against the entryway wall. Nico’s head slammed against a picture frame and he and the frame went tumbling to the floor. A second heartbeat formed inside Nico’s skull in the area where his head had met the wall.

Nico hoped that Bianca had been sensible enough to lock herself in her room tonight. He couldn’t stand the thought of their father doing anything like this to her.

“Sorry, can I go to my room now, sir?”

“Go, get out of my sight.” Hades knocked Nico once with his foot and Nico scrambled up to his own feet, ignoring the awful pounding in his head. Without a word he scurried out of the entryway and across the apartment to the hallway where his and Bianca’s bedrooms were located.

He shut the door tightly behind him, clicking the lock into place. Sure, his father would be angry if he found out his son had locked the door, but Nico would deal with that later. He slid down to the ground, his back to the door, and sucked in a deep breath.

To think, Nico had been having such a good night…

As if on some magical cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Normally the only person who texted him after nine o’clock was Bianca, but upon opening his phone, Nico found that this was not the case tonight.

**_Hey, Nico. It was great to meet you tonight, what do you say Sunday we go for lunch or something? Weather is supposed to be nice. Do you like Central Park? –Luke_ **

It took Nico almost a minute to realize he was smiling. Not only had Luke texted him less than an hour after last seeing him, but he already wanted to make plans to meet again. The day after tomorrow, no less. It didn’t even matter that Nico wasn’t a fan of outdoors, he would happily go along with what Luke wanted.

**Sunday sounds great. –Nico**

**_Awesome! What if we meet at Bethesda Fountain at one? I’ll bring food :) –Luke_ **

A Sunday picnic with a very attractive seventeen year old guy… Nico couldn’t tell if God was rewarding him or laughing right in his face.

**I’ll bring myself. See you then. –Nico**

**_Can’t wait! –Luke_ **

Nico grinned idiotically down at the screen for thirty or so seconds after reading the text, just trying to wrap his minds around it all. The big thing that Nico had been dreading for weeks actually had the potential to turn into the best thing that had happened to him in weeks.

Sure, his head still throbbed painfully and his father would undoubtedly still be an asshole when Nico woke up in the morning, but those things didn’t get Nico down.

Nico prepared for bed almost cheerily. He’d made a new friend today. Nico hadn’t made a friend since Alabaster and that was… God, years ago. Even then, the friendship had been more or less thrust upon them by their fathers, who worked for the same company. Alabaster was cool and all, and Nico was certainly grateful to have one friend in his school, but Luke already felt different. In his friendship with Alabaster, Nico always felt like more of a sidekick—Alabaster’s loyal follower, ready to agree with him on anything at any time.

But Luke genuinely valued Nico’s opinion. Even with their three and a half year age gap, Luke treated Nico like an equal, not a pupil. A friend, not a project.

Nico decided that maybe the whole senior buddy program wasn’t so bad after all.

In fact, it might even lead to the best summer of Nico’s life.

 

…

 

“Divertiti oggi!” Nico’s mother called from the kitchen late Sunday morning as Nico headed for the door.

“I’ll be home later, Mom. Love you.”

“Mi scusi?” The woman chided.

“I mean, ti amo, mamma,” Nico corrected, pulling open the front door.

“Grazie,” his mother said, apparently appeased. The door closed between them and Nico walked down the hall with almost a skip in his step. Not so much because he was going to see Luke—Nico was inexplicably nervous about that part—but because he had an excuse to be out of the apartment. A whole glorious afternoon free of Nico’s father.

The sun was hot, being June and all, but Nico didn’t mind much. Even the heat was preferable to an afternoon in his apartment. Although, he would probably suggest that he and Luke meet at an indoor location next time.

His heart thumped rapidly at the thought of seeing Luke multiple times. The older boy was nice, after all. That was why the idea excited Nico. That had to be why. Luke’s charming smile had absolutely nothing to do with it… he hoped.

The subway was significantly cooler, allowing Nico some reprieve from the summer sun, but that wasn’t the only thing that Nico liked about the subway. He felt calmer down there, in the dark and beneath the earth. Alabaster had always thought Nico was a freak for feeling this way. After all, most people saw underground as closed off, unknown, cramped. But for Nico, the underground provided a sort of solace. He’d tried to explain it numerous times, but had never found the words.

In third grade, a kid named Dylan had found a word for it, and unfortunately it had stuck around for years. _Freak._

In the halls, at lunch, during recess. _Freak freak freak._

It took until sixth grade for Nico to realize they were right. He _was_ a freak.

And it wasn’t until two days ago that Nico decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

 

…

 

“Hey!” Luke greeted, a wide grin taking over his entire face. “You came!”

Nico examined his shoes. “Well, I said I would, didn’t I?” Nico really needed to work on his communication skills.

“Yeah, you did,” he held up a picnic basket and blanket. “Let’s go find some grass!”

They wound up in a relatively empty patch of lawn, under the shade of a tree. Luke laid down the blanket and they sat. As Luke opened the basket, Nico mused to himself how this afternoon picnic felt a lot like a date.

It wasn’t a date though. It was a mentor eating lunch with his mentee. Two friends hanging out. That was all.

That was all.

“Confession time, I did not actually make any of this food,” Luke said, holding up a chicken wrap. “I bought all of this stuff from the store. I can’t even boil water without fucking up.”

The admission comforted Nico somewhat. Even cool senior athletes weren’t perfect.

“That’s fine, I’ll try not to hold your lack of cooking skills against you,” Nico joked, accepting a wrap and an apple from the blond. Unable to think of anything to say, Nico wasted no time digging into his lunch. He was counting on Luke to lead any conversation. If Nico tried, he’s probably start spouting out things that would make Luke run for the hills. _Did you ever play Mythomagic when you were younger? Have you ever felt funny while looking at another boy?_

“So, what is there to know about Nico di Angelo?” Luke prompted after a minute of awkward silence.

This was the kind of question Nico hated. All there really was to know about Nico were the things he couldn’t talk about. And the few things he could share were hardly spectacular. “Not a lot,” he admitted. “My family is very Italian. I still have relatives in Italy.”

“Man, that is awesome! I’m pretty sure the Castellan family has been in America since before the Civil War.” Another silence saturated the air. “And that’s officially _all_ there is to know about you?”

Nico hoped his pink cheeks could be blamed on the sun. “I like mythology I guess, and… books.”

“That’s cool,” Luke said. “You’re a really smart kid.”

Nico thought of all the times his father had called him stupid. “I guess so,” he shrugged. “School is really all I have going on. I don’t play a sport like you. What’s that like?” Keeping the conversation geared toward Luke seemed like a good idea.

Luke sipped a vitamin water. “I love playing soccer, I’ve played since I was a kid. As far as the team though, I’m indifferent. A lot of the guys are cool enough, but a few of them can’t get over the fact that I’m bi. Like surely I want to get into _all_ of their shorts.”

Nico choked on a bite of chicken. “What?” He’d said it so casually that Nico thought he must have misheard him.

“Oh, I’m bisexual. I like guys. And girls.”

Nico lowered his food onto his lap and just stared at the blond. How could he admit it so easily and openly? Not just to Nico, but to everyone. His team knew about it, did the entire school? How did people treat him because of it?

“I think I’m gay,” Nico blurted suddenly, surprising even himself. He’d barely dared to think it, let alone say such a thing out loud. But now that he had, he knew that it was true. “Actually, I’m pretty sure I am.”

Blue eyes met Nico’s dark ones. “I know,” Luke admitted, keeping his eyes steady on Nico. “Or at least, I guessed on Friday night.”

Despite the heat, Nico shivered. “I’ve never actually, um, said that before. Is it that obvious?” More importantly, did Nico’s father know?

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m sure the straight people haven’t figured it out yet,” Luke reassured with a kind smile. “So I’m the only one who knows this?”

Nico nodded, still in shock that this conversation was even happening. “I—I may be straight.”

“When you look at girls, do you ever think about kissing any of them?”

“Well, no, but…” A lump had begun forming in his throat. “I’ve never kissed a girl. I might like—” He didn’t bother finishing. His shoulders slumped.

Suddenly there was a hand resting on Nico’s shoulder. He tensed. “Hey, it’s okay,” Luke told him. Noticing Nico’s discomfort, he took his hand back. “You shouldn’t be ashamed. Have you thought about talking to your parents? Or your sister?”

Nico almost laughed. “Yeah, right. My dad would—he wouldn’t take the news well.”

Luke’s eyebrows drew together as his head tilted slightly to the side, studying Nico curiously. For a panicked moment, Nico thought Luke would ask what he meant by that, but the older teen just stayed silent.

“Okay,” he finally said. “And your sister?”

Nico would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it. Bianca had always been the one he’d confided in, the person closer to him than anyone in the world. But every time he’d thought about talking to her, he choked up. What if Bianca thought he was a freak, too? He couldn’t lose his own sister.

“Can we maybe talk about something else?” Nico asked. “I don’t like talking about my family. Or any of this, really.”

“Sure, Nico.”

And just like that, they did.

 

…

 

As it turned out, Luke had his very own car, which he insisted on driving Nico home in. It wasn’t a particularly new or luxurious car, but it w _as_ a car, nonetheless. Nico couldn’t imagine his parents ever getting him a car, living in the city and all.

It was kind of nice though, sitting beside Luke as he wove through the crazy Manhattan traffic. Spending more time with Luke was worth forgoing the subway. Nico had grown so used to being alone, he forgot that being around others could actually be enjoyable.

“Hopefully you won’t get Mrs. Fox for English,” Luke said. “We’re all ninety percent sure she’s a communist. And then Mr. Madden is a little crazy. He talks to the whiteboard from time to time. He teaches Algebra.”

Luke kept talking like that—telling Nico about every possible teacher he could have, which ones were good, which were bad. He even told Nico exactly where to sit if he wanted to avoid being blasted by the air conditioning. Compared to the heavier conversations they’d had earlier, Nico was more than happy to discuss simpler topics.

However, one thought stayed very present in Nico’s mind. Luke Castellan, bisexual. He liked boys and girls and things seemed to be fine with him. Nico thought back to their picnic. Hadn’t he distinctly thought of its almost date-like quality? And then Luke confessed that he’d already guessed the truth about Nico. And he’d so openly admitted to being interested in guys…

He snuck a glance at the animated blond.

 _No, no._ Nico was jumping to conclusions based on his own desires. Luke was just being nice, he was being a friend, he didn’t have a thing for Nico.

Nico, on the other hand…

Nico was in trouble.

Because he was pretty sure it was against the rules to have a crush on his mentor.

 

…

 

“Here we are,” Luke announced, pulling to a stop in front of Nico’s building. Part of Nico was relieved, he needed time to go home and think about all that had happened. But another part of Nico—his heart—sank with disappointment. He didn’t want his time with Luke to end. He wanted to talk more, get to know him more, listen to his laugh more.

“Thanks for the ride, Luke.”

“Anytime,” Luke replied, and Nico believed that he meant it.

“Well, I guess I better go inside now,” he said, opening the car door and stepping out. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, I’ll call you,” Luke promised. “Soon. Bye Nico.” He flashed one final brilliant smile as Nico shut the door and then drove off, disappearing around the corner shortly after.

Nico didn’t think he had any reason to question whether or not he was straight anymore. The answer was as clear as the blue in Luke’s eyes. 

 

…

 

Nico didn’t hear from Luke on Monday.

Or Tuesday.

Or Wednesday.

He tried not to think much of it. Surely Luke had better things to do than hang out with Nico.

He didn’t call Thursday.

Or Friday.

How soon was soon?

Not Saturday.

Every time his phone buzzed Nico jumped, his hopes shooting sky high. Two texts from his cousin Hazel, three from Alabaster, one from Bianca.

None from Luke.

Nico was beginning to worry. Had he done something wrong? Maybe after spending a whole afternoon together Luke had changed his mind about the friendship.

Hell, he’d figured out Nico’s secret easily enough, maybe he also sensed Nico’s crush. Maybe he was laughing to all of his friends about it. “Yeah, he thinks that he has a chance. What a loser.”

What if he already had a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? Nico felt like such an idiot.

By Sunday, Nico had decided not to think about it at all. So what if Luke didn’t call? He was just a dumb guy anyway.

Monday dragged. Nico had started to carry his phone with him everywhere, which made Bianca raise a brow once or twice.

“Staring at it doesn’t make messages come any faster, you know,” she said while the two of them ate lunch. Hades was at work, which meant that the siblings felt more comfortable to roam about the apartment as they pleased. Their mother was stationed in the living room, sewing away and humming Italian lullabies to herself.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nico muttered.

“You’ve been watching your phone like a hawk this last week. Is Alabaster ignoring you or something?”

“No, that’s not it,” Nico said, unable to meet her eyes.

“Does it have to do with your date last weekend?”

Nico tensed so quickly he nearly had a muscle spasm. “It wasn’t a date!” He hissed. “And will you shut up? Mom is in the other room!” Thankfully the kitchen and living room were two separate rooms. Between her humming and the sewing machine, his mother likely hadn’t heard anything.

“Fine, call it what you want,” Bianca shrugged, keeping her voice low. “You sure seemed to be in a good mood afterward.”

“So what? I’m in a good mood sometimes.”

Bianca blinked at him. “Uh huh. So your good mood didn’t have to do with the very attractive guy you went out with? And that same blond isn’t the reason you’ve been constantly checking your phone?”

“Wh—what are you trying to say?” Nico asked. Bianca stood and brought both of their lunch plates to the dishwasher.

“How about we go talk in my room?” She suggested. Nico wordlessly followed, his stomach twisting like a wind-up kitchen timer.

When they got into the room, Nico focused on the pale green color of Bianca’s walls rather than Bianca herself. With his peripheral vision, he watched as Bianca shut the bedroom door tightly.

Nico snuck a glance her way to find her staring directly at him, a mixture of sadness and understanding in her eyes. Grasping for any distraction, Nico thought once again of how badly he wished that—like Bianca—he had inherited his mother’s looks and not his father’s.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Her tone was gentle as she stepped forward. The pit in his stomach tripled in size.

Bianca knew. There was no way she didn’t know. Shit.

“Bia—”

“It’s okay, Nico. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Nico’s slumped forward. “If Dad knew—”

“I know. I won’t say anything. You’re my brother, I love you.”

Bianca hugged him. She’d always been Nico’s exception to the touching rule. He hugged her back, swallowing a lump of tears building in his throat.

“I love you too, B.”

“So now are you going to tell me what’s going on with the phone?”

“It’s just… After we hung out last Sunday, Luke said he’d call me soon. But it’s been over a week. It’s—it’s stupid.”

“He probably has a good reason.”

“He’s seventeen and hot, he doesn’t need a reason. Besides, nothing could ever happen anyway. He’s my mentor.”

“You never know,” she said, sitting down on the bed. “He was really eager to hang out with you before.”

“Yeah, and after spending more time with me he clearly regretted it.”

“I’m just saying there may be more to the story. And honestly, if he doesn’t end up texting you, then forget him. There will be other guys.”

Nico wondered if perhaps this whole week had been a dream. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Oh but promise me one thing. Never, under any circumstances, trick yourself into thinking you have feelings for Alabaster. He’s a rat and he shoves you around all the time.”

“That’s not true. And besides he’s—he’s not my type,” Nico admitted, averting his eyes.

“Oh, look at you,” Bianca giggled. “My little brother has a type now. What is it? Tall blonds with pretty blue eyes?”

“Shut up,” Nico mumbled, throwing a pillow at her.

“I’m your sister, it’s my job to tease and support you in equal parts.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but somehow, Bianca had put a smile on his face.

She always did.

 

…

 

Monday night. Nothing.

Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon. Nothing.

Tuesday evening.

Nico sat at the dinner table, pushing around mashed potatoes with his fork. This time when his phone vibrated in his pocket he didn’t even react.

After a minute though, his curiosity got the better of them. He casually slid the phone from his pocket and held it under the table.

He dropped it almost immediately.

Hades cleared his throat. “Nico, son, you know how I feel about phones at the table.” His voice was so calm it made Nico’s heart stop momentarily.

“Sorry, it fell,” Nico muttered, more or less diving to the ground to get the phone. His manners and fear of getting the belt were vastly overshadowed by the name that had shown up on Nico’s screen.

**_Hey Nico, I’m so sorry it took me so long to contact you. Can you hang out tonight? I know it’s short notice, but I’d really like to see you. Also, I miss you! –Luke_ **

“After dinner, could I go hang out with a friend?” Nico asked, even though he knew it was pointless. His father kept all the members of his family on tight leashes. “Just for like an hour or so.”

“What friend?” Hades questioned, “The Torringtons are in the Hamptons this week.” Atlas Torrington, Alabaster’s father, also happened to be one of Nico’s father’s oldest friends. Prior to Luke, Alabaster had been Nico’s only non-relative friend and even that friendship mainly only existed because of their fathers. Not that Nico wasn’t grateful but…

Still, Hades’ questioned bothered Nico—and not in the expected way. Nico accepted that his friendship group was tiny, that didn’t bother him. It was the way Hades had said it, the insinuation that Nico wasn’t _allowed_ to have other friends that irked him.

“My senior mentor,” Nico said, avoiding looking in Bianca’s direction.

Nico’s father snorted. “Your mentor wants to spend time with you at night? Doesn’t she have better—”

“He,” Nico corrected. “His name is Luke. He’s my friend.”

The room dropped off into silence so thick Nico could almost feel it like a hand clasping around his throat. No one spoke, no one ate. Nico wondered if the whole world was holding its breath. Hades’ eyes narrowed as he studied his son carefully. Then, after an unbearable minute, he picked up his fork and went back to eating. His mother hesitantly did the same. Bianca gave Nico a sympathetic smile and returned to her meal as well. Nico did not touch his food for several more minutes. The rest of dinner was void of conversation.

Then, just as Nico’s father finished clearing his plate of food, he looked back to Nico. “You don’t have any friends that I don’t approve of,” he said. And that was that. Nico said nothing in protest. What good would talking back do?

Hades raised an eyebrow at his son, almost as if he wanted Nico to argue. Like he hoped it would happen. Maybe he just felt like beating Nico, although he’d never exactly needed an excuse in the past.

Nico sighed and brought his plate to the dishwasher.

“Oh, and Nico,” his father called.

“Yes, sir?”

“Clean up the kitchen, will you?”

It was not an option and they both knew it.

“Yes sir,” Nico sighed. Hades left the kitchen first. Once he was gone, his mother and Bianca approached him.

“We’ll help you,” his mother said, a weak smile on her lips. Together, they erased the evidence of dinner in a mere five minutes. Nico retreated to his room immediately afterward, pulling out his phone as he left.

**Hey. Yeah, I can hang out. Just tell me when and where. –Nico**

 

…

 

Nico loved fire escapes. What others saw as an eyesore, he saw as an opportunity. Once nine o’clock rolled around and Nico was fairly certain no one would disturb him again, he pushed open his bedroom window and slipped through it.

What his father didn’t know wouldn’t kill him, right? Though, it could kill Nico.

 The fire escape was still fairly sturdy, despite being decades old and seldom used. The last time Nico had stood on this particular platform he’d been eleven and trying to hide from his especially violent father. For over forty minutes he had pressed himself flat against the face of the building and wished for a mysterious wind to pluck him off the fire escape and carry him away. Instead, he found himself plucked up by his father and dragged back through the window kicking and screaming.

Nico scratched his back, recalling the punishment he’d endured for that particular stunt. A handful of the scars on his back belonged to that night. And now, Nico planned to do worse than hide on the fire escape. He intended to use it.

 _If I get caught,_ he thought, _Father might beat me half to death._

Nico had a plan to avoid that outcome, however. He simply wouldn’t get caught.

The descent down the stairs was quite simple, as long as he watched his footing. The challenge came at the bottom. The ladder that should have been able drop all the way to the ground had gotten stuck years ago, so the lowest it could make it was about eight feet off the ground. Nico climbed the ladder down anyway, dangling from it once he reached the bottom and dropping lightly to the sidewalk.

For about eight seconds, Nico felt like quite the badass. He’d just snuck out of his room on the fourth floor and made it down to the sidewalk in front of the building undetected. However, the threat of being caught kept Nico from taking too much time to pat himself on the back. He started down the sidewalk quickly, heading west.

The meeting location turned out to be an oddity for this neighborhood. Among trendy clothing stores and organic cafes sat a perfectly stereotypical twenty-four hour diner. A sign out front proudly proclaimed that Nico had arrived at the “Home of Manhattan’s Best Milkshake.”

Through the front window, Nico saw the back of a blond head alone at a booth in the far corner. It had to be Luke. Just the thought of seeing him face to face again made Nico’s heart pound hard enough to be felt in his stomach. In the window’s reflection he smoothed his hair. _You can do this,_ he assured himself.

_Unless he called you here to tell you that he changed his mind about being friends._

Actually, Nico just wasn’t going to think about that particular outcome. If he did, he had a feeling that his feet would never cross the diner’s threshold.

A small bell dinged as Nico pushed the door and stepped into the café, deliciously cool compared to the muggy Manhattan night. Luke looked up at the sound of Nico’s approaching footsteps and gave a wide smile. Nico returned the smile, but hesitantly. He still didn’t understand why Luke had gone silent for a week. Maybe Nico didn’t exactly have any room to be picky, but he didn’t want a friend who only talked to Nico when it was convenient for him. After lunch last week, he’d actually believed they could just have an actual friendship. 

“Hey, you made it!” Luke grinned. “I would have picked you up, but my grandma needed the car tonight.”

“That’s okay.” Nico hadn’t exactly wanted Luke’s car showing up outside his apartment any more than necessary, but he could hardly explain that. He sat down across from Luke. “I’m used to walking. How have you been?” _Where have you been?_ Nico wanted to ask instead.

The blond chewed his lip, “Okay, I guess. Do you like milkshakes, by the way? I don’t know if you saw the sign out front. The butterscotch milkshake is my favorite.”

Nico had spent enough years avoiding certain topics of conversation to know when someone was trying to dodge a certain topic of conversation. Normally, he could respect that. But something about Luke, who Nico knew as being so easygoing and bright, unsettled him.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever tried a butterscotch flavored milkshake,” Nico told him, too nervous to comment on Luke’s strange behavior. What if Luke really did want to break off the friendship?

A waitress came over a minute later and Luke ordered them both milkshakes, along with a plate of cheese fries, “You like cheese fries, right Nico?”

Nico nodded, despite his current lack of an appetite.

The waitress left and an uncomfortable silence settled between the two boys. Previously, Nico had been able to count on Luke to come up with something to say. Tonight there were no words. Maybe he hadn’t known Luke for long, but Nico could still tell that something was seriously bothering the guy.

“Is something wrong, Luke?” Nico questioned, finally daring to speak. Luke, who had been staring at the wall, refocused his vision and turned to Nico.

“I—I was just thinking, I guess,” he said. “You might have noticed that I was really silent this last week. It’s not anything you did, so I hope you didn’t think that.”

Nico tried not to look relieved. “Oh, no, I didn’t think that.” The lie was so obvious that Luke smiled a little, which helped to relieve a lot of the tension.

“Still looking for reasons that I shouldn’t want to be your friend, I see,” he said, “Nice try, I’m not letting you off that easy.”

Warmth filled Nico’s entire body, making it hard to sit still. It was such a Luke thing to say.

After a few seconds though, Nico realized that Luke had successfully avoided what he’d originally set out to say. And Nico didn’t intend to let him off that easy, either. “Well, are you going to tell me what’s up or not?”

The waitress arrived with their milkshakes. “And the fries will be out in a minute, Sugars,” she said in an out-of-place southern accent. Luke thanked her, but his eyes remained on Nico. The younger boy shifted nervously, hoping he hadn’t overstepped his boundaries.

“I spent the last week in Connecticut,” he admitted, as if that should clear everything up. When Nico continued to stare blankly at him, Luke continued. “Okay, I guess there are three things you should know about me. One, I lived in Connecticut with my mother until I was fourteen. Two, I live with my grandma now, my mother is still in Connecticut. Three,” he paused, finally lowering his eyes, “my mother is a paranoid schizophrenic.”

The heat that had buzzed through Nico’s body dissipated. “Oh,” he breathed.

“I, um, living with her got to be too hard. Especially since my dad was never around. I haven’t visited her since moving in with my grandmother until last week. Apparently she has cancer, on top of everything.” He said no more, choosing instead to drink from his milkshake.

“Hey, you haven’t tried yours yet,” he realized. “Try it. Milkshakes make everything better.” An encouraging smile lit his face.

Nico blinked several times, shocked at the complete one-eighty Luke had made between one second and the next. What kind of creature was Luke Castellan?

When it seemed that Luke would not move or blink or speak until Nico tried the damn shake, he wrapped his lips around the straw and took a drink. He had to admit, the sign hadn’t lied and neither had Luke.

“Good, huh?” The blond grinned.

“Delicious,” Nico agreed. The waitress brought over the fry plate and they, too, were delicious. “Is she—your mom I mean—is she going to be okay?”

Luke shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. She’ll probably die soon. I mean, I should feel a lot worse… but she’s been dead to me for a long time.”

Nico’s stomach twisted. He knew that feeling. His own father was hardly a parental figure. “Not everyone loves their parents, Luke. It’s nothing to feel bad about.”

“Growing up with her was a nightmare. She terrified me, always yelling about invisible gods and monsters and people out to get both of us,” Luke’s hand shook slightly as he grabbed a fry.

“So that’s why I didn’t call or text you,” he continued. “I got home on Saturday night actually, but then I figured I needed to tell you about this. About my past. And it’s… difficult. I don’t normally talk about it.”

“I know how you feel,” the younger boy said. He’d sworn to himself years ago that he’d never talk about his family life with anyone, but after Luke’s confession he felt the need to say something that would let Luke know that he wasn’t alone. “My family has their fair share of issues. My dad won’t be winning any awards for fathering any time soon.”

Luke gave a sad, sympathetic smile. “Who needs fathers anyway, right? We’ve got cheese fries.”

“And milkshakes,” Nico added, holding up his glass.

“And friends,” Luke continued, holding up his glass as well.

“To friends, then,” Nico smiled.

“Yeah, to friends,” they clinked their milkshakes together.

In typical Luke fashion, the seventeen year old had put a smile on Nico’s face again. And it didn’t matter if part of Nico hoped for more than just friendship, or if tap dances went on in his chest whenever Luke looked at him, because just knowing Luke—just being friends with him had already made Nico’s life a little bit brighter.

For the time being, Nico felt honest happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translations provided by the wonderful oh-nothing-important on tumblr, who actually lives in Italy.  
> “Buone vacanze, Amore.” Happy holidays, Love (Equivalent to happy summer)  
> “Divertiti oggi!” Have fun today.  
> “Mi scusi?” Excuse me.  
> The rest should be pretty obvious, I think.
> 
> Remember, Murder Suspect Ch 19 next, THEN the second half of this. Also, if you didn’t see, I have started posting another story called When You Least Expect It in which Nico teaches a little girl dance class and you should all totally check it out.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took so long and I am really sorry about that! I thought I would get right to work on this after I finished chapter 19 of Murder Suspect but then I wrote ch 2 of WYLEI it instead. Oh well, this second half is a MONSTER so hopefully that makes up for it. Just an FYI though MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS. Lots of homophobia and violence lies within. It gets pretty ugly with the violence in some parts. Okay.

“So then on Monday we drove to Brooklyn and walked around and Luke showed me this really good pizza joint. And yesterday we just hung out at his place and watched movies. His grandmother, Hera, is really cool. She baked cookies, when was the last time you had real homemade, fresh-baked cookies in your house? They were delicious”

Nico sat on the Torrington’s couch while Alabaster leaned against it, playing Grand Theft Auto… or something. “Sounds fun,” Alabaster replied, though Nico wondered if he was really even paying attention.

“So what have you and Kelli done so far this summer?” School had officially been out for three weeks and Nico had managed to get out of the house more than ever. Oddly enough, however, this was the first time he’d actually seen Alabaster, his supposed closest friend.

“Kelli? Oh, I haven’t seen her. She texted me once last week. No one _actually_ hangs out with their senior buddies, Nico. It’s stupid.”

Nico frowned. Kelli and Alabaster hadn’t hung out… at all? He had started to think maybe all of the stories of senior mentors who didn’t care was a load. After all, other than the week when Luke had been in Connecticut, Nico and Luke hung out at least twice each week. And they texted every day. In fact, he was waiting for Luke to text him back right that minute.

“It is? I thought you were excited about having Kelli as your mentor.”

Alabaster didn’t look away from his game. “Well, I mean yeah it was cool to hang out with her that first night, but come on. She’s a popular hot senior girl, she’s got better things to do than check up on me all day. I know where I lay on the social scale. I’m just a fish, if she actually hung out with me, that would make her look like a loser, don’t you think?”

Nico shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like what his friend was insinuating. “Luke’s not a loser, though. He plays sports and has a lot of friends and stuff. He’s really cool. And we hang out all the time.”

Alabaster glanced up from his game briefly. “Look, I didn’t want to bring this up, because I know you’re having fun with him or whatever, but Kelli told me the night of the mixer that your mentor’s a faggot.”

Nico tensed at the word. He’d heard Alabaster use the term jokingly before, and as an insult to other kids in school, but never had his friend used it to describe someone who was actually not straight. Nico felt suddenly cold, nauseous, anxious. He no longer felt welcome at Alabaster’s. In fact, he wanted to leave.

“He’s bisexual, he’s not uh…” Nico could barely speak. His mouth felt stuffed with cotton.

“A fag is a fag is a fag, Nico,” Alabaster reminded harshly, shooting someone down in his game. “He’s probably just trying to get into your pants. You know how _they_ are.”

They. Gay people. Faggots. Nico was one. Nico was gay. _A fag is a fag is a fag._

“L—Luke isn’t like that. I mean, he wouldn’t—wouldn’t try to—he doesn’t—”

“It’s the only logical reason, isn’t it? No offense Nico, but why else would a seventeen year old homo want to spend so much time with you? It’s not like you’ve got a sparkling personality or anything, I’m just telling you this as a friend.”

Nico may not have had many friends, but he was pretty sure that friends didn’t act this way. Why was Alabaster being so cruel? Couldn’t he just be happy for Nico actually having a good mentor? The accusations against Luke also made Nico feel rotten inside. After all, Luke acted like more of a friend these last few weeks than Alabaster _ever_ had. Luke validated that Nico’s thoughts and opinions mattered, he always gave Nico his undivided attention while Nico spoke, he laughed with Nico often and at him never. He never made Nico feel stupid or like he was less than he was.

_Your mentor’s a faggot._

_A fag is a fag is a fag._

_It’s not like you’ve got a sparkling personality or anything._

“I think I’m going to go,” Nico declared, rising from the couch.

“Go? You literally just got here twenty minutes ago. Don’t you want to watch me steal the helicopter?”

“Honestly Alabaster, I don’t give a damn about your video game.”

Alabaster actually paused the game and gave Nico his undivided attention for the first time since they’d sat down. He gaped at Nico, mouth hanging open. “Who do you think you are? You start hanging out with some senior and now you think you’re better than me or something? How dare you talk to me like that.” He stood too. “And don’t come crying to me when you realize the damn queer is only hanging around for your ass.”

“Better to be ‘queer’ than an asshole like you,” Nico spat, barely knowing where these words were coming from. Nico had never called someone an asshole before, or even really sworn out loud much. Luke was the one with the colorful vocabulary. But right now Nico was livid. Alabaster didn’t want Nico’s friendship, he wanted a quiet sidekick he could push around. It wasn’t until Nico felt what actual friendship was like that he realized that fact.

“Sympathize with the fags and people are going to start thinking you’re one of them, Nico.”

“As long as they don’t call me your friend, I don’t care.”

“You’re such a little bitch,” he shoved Nico’s arm.

“Maybe so, but I’m not yours,” Nico declared. “So go _fuck_ yourself _,_ Alabaster Torrington.” He turned and stormed out.

As the door fell shut, he heard Alabaster yell: “Better to fuck myself than get fucked by a faggot!”

Nico didn’t reply. He’d stood up for himself, he’d stood up for Luke. He was quite satisfied with himself.

But, as he rode the elevator down, another feeling lingered in his stomach. Apprehension, he realized, that despite Luke’s talk of friendship, Alabaster could be right. What if Luke was just looking to take advantage of him? It would explain why someone like him cared to spend so much time with Nico…

They did spend a _lot_ of time together.

No. No. Luke wasn’t like that. Luke and Nico were platonic, one hundred percent. The blond had never indicated otherwise, at least. Had he?

Nico wasn’t so sure anymore.

 

…

 

“Alabaster and I had a fight,” he told Luke once the boy answered his phone. Nico was walking through the streets of SoHo, not wanting to go home earlier than he needed to.

“Really? Just now?”

“Yeah. I think we’re done for good. What’s up with you?”

“Nothing really, want to come over? You can tell me about what happened.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. See you soon.”

Luke was waiting for Nico when he arrived at the apartment. His building was far taller than Nico’s, at fifteen floors, but also a little shabbier. While Nico’s building certainly was old, there was a sort of charm to its age. Luke’s building, on the other hand, hadn’t been built with such charm. Nico didn’t mind though—Just being here made Nico feel multitudes more comfortable than when he was at home.

The smell of brownies spilled through the door. “Your grandmother baking again?”

“Always,” Luke smiled, stepping aside to let Nico into the apartment.

“Hi Nico!” Hera called, poking her head out of the kitchen. For a grandmother, she wasn’t terribly old—only fifty-eight, and she looked younger than that. But she acted like a grandmother, always warm and smiling and ready with all kinds of baked goods.

Nico had only one living grandparent, his father’s mother, Gaea. Unsurprisingly, she was a complete bitch. Her husband had died when Nico was still in diapers, but Nico found it hard to believe such a person existed. Why anyone would have wanted to marry the old crone was beyond him. Nico’s grandparents on his mother’s side had been good Italian people, but even when they were alive Nico had barely known them, save for the two summers he’d spent in Florence when he was younger.

“Nice to see you again, Hera,” Nico said, already feeling his anger over the Alabaster thing drifting away. These people were good people.

“Brownies will be ready soon,” she informed the boys before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Couch or my room?” Luke prompted, as always giving Nico the power to choose. Alabaster never let Nico choose anything.

“Let’s go to your room,” he suggested. As nice as Hera was, Nico didn’t exactly feel comfortable discussing his earlier fight within her hearing range.

Luke gave an understanding nod and led the way down the hall. Once they got to the room, Luke allowed Nico to sit on the bed while he took the desk chair. Clothes littered the floor and a plate sat on the desk, the kind of things that Hades would smack Nico across the face for.

“Sorry it’s kind of a mess in here, if I’d known you were coming over earlier I would have had time to clean up.”

The corner of Nico’s mouth quirked up into a half smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

“So tell me what happened. The other day you seemed glad about hanging out with your friend,” Luke recalled, leaning forward with genuine interest.

“Well I guess I hadn’t realized what a jerk he was. He was more interested in his video game than me, and then he said some… not so nice things.”

Luke’s jaw twitched. “What did he say to you?”

“It wasn’t even so much about me,” he confessed. “I mean, he was making fun of me, but he always does that. But then he—he called you a faggot,” Nico barely said the last word.

“What?” Luke wore an expression of honest surprise. “He was talking shit about me?”

“I guess his mentor Kelli, who he hasn’t even hung out with once, told him that you were bisexual, and so Alabaster went off on a tangent about how you were probably only hanging out with me to—” he couldn’t finish, but it appeared that he didn’t need to. Luke nodded in understanding.

“He thinks I’m spending time with you because I want to get in your pants.”

“And he kept using all of these homophobic slurs, too. So I told him to go fuck himself and I left.”

“You told him that?” Luke sounded almost proud.

“And I called him an asshole,” Nico added.

“Good, he _is_ an asshole,” Luke agreed. “You know I’m not like that, right? I wouldn’t get close to you just so I could take advantage of you.”

“I know,” Nico said, even though just twenty minutes ago he hadn’t been so sure. But now, hearing Luke say it and seeing the honesty on his face, Nico felt reassured. In fact, the idea felt a little ridiculous now. “I mean, I think if you were trying to get laid, you wouldn’t need to stoop down to getting some from a loser freshman.”

“Hey, don’t talk about my friend like that,” Luke scolded. “You’re not a loser. Plus you’re totally cute. You should give yourself more credit.”

Cute. Did he just call Nico cute? Was that a general statement or did Luke mean that he thought Nico was cute? Luke actually thought Nico was cute? Cute in an _I’m attracted to you_ way or cute in a _look at this adorable little puppy_ way?

“Gee, thanks,” he replied sarcastically, even as his heart felt like beating out of his chest.

“Okay, I have an idea. How about I take you to the soccer fields on Sunday? Show you how to play a little. Maybe work on your kick. Then, next time you see Alabastard, you could kick him in the balls if you really wanted to.”

More time with Luke? How could Nico ever say no? A wide smile spread over Nico’s lips, then took over his whole face. “Sounds great.”

 

…

 

“Atlas called,” Nico’s father said as his son entered the apartment, five minutes before curfew. “Would you like to explain why you told his son, your best friend, to go fuck himself, Nicky?”

Damn. He should have known Alabaster would go crying to his daddy. Alabaster had always been a kiss ass, and he never got in trouble for doing anything.

“He was insulting my friend.”

“What friend? Alabaster is your only friend.”

“No, he isn’t. Luke is my friend, father. We’ve been hanging out for weeks.”

Hades took hold of Nico’s arm, gripping it tightly and pulling his son in close, so Nico could feel the older man’s breathing.

“What did I tell you about having friends that I don’t approve of? Tomorrow you go over to the Torringtons’ and fucking _beg_ Alabaster to be your friend again. Enough with this _Luke_ business.”

“No,” Nico said.

His father’s eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed to slits in a matter of seconds. “ _What_ did you say to me?”

“You can force me to do the chores or be home by a certain time, but you cannot make me be friends with Alabaster. I won’t—”

Hades slammed Nico against the wall, effectively knocking the wind out of him. “Do I need to beat you into obedience tonight?”

“I won’t apologize. And I’m not going to stop being friends with Luke. If you want to beat me for it, fine. I’ll go get the belt.”

“Don’t you just have quite the little mouth today,” Hades remarked. “Would you talk to me this way if your sister took your beating for you?” He released Nico and started in the direction of his daughter’s bedroom.

“Bianca,” he called, “Will you come out here, please?”

Panic seized Nico’s heart. His father had him, and they both knew it. Nico would take a hundred beatings before he would let Hades take a step toward Bianca with the intent of harming her. “No!” Came his frantic yell. “Father don’t. I’m—I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?” Bianca asked, crossing her arms and stepping into the hall.

“Everyone stop,” Nico choked, withdrawing his cell phone. “Stop. I’ll do it.”

Hades stood patiently as Nico made the phone call.

“What do you want?” Alabaster said, disgust clear in his voice.

“I—I just wanted to say that,” he swallowed a lump of tears. _Don’t cry._ “I’m sorry for getting mad at you earlier. I was—it was wrong. I shouldn’t have gotten angry.”

He could almost feel Alabaster’s smug smile, and he hated it more than anything. Hated his father for putting him through this. “Yeah I was right,” he said. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive someone who chose a disgusting fag over me. My dad says all fags end up with AIDS. You’d better be careful or you’ll get them, too.”

Nico wanted to scream. The tears had found their way to the corners of his eyes, despite his efforts. “I’ll keep that in mind. Talk to you later.”

“Of course you will,” Alabaster paused for a moment, chuckling to himself. “I guess you are my bitch after all, huh?”

“Bye.”

He hung up the phone, his lips pressed tightly together.

“There, I did it. Are you happy?” Nico muttered, unable to meet his father’s eyes.

“I told you to go talk to him in person, but I suppose that will suffice. Still, you always manage to disappoint me, don’t you?” Nico looked up as the di Angelo patriarch turned back to Bianca. “You can go back to your room now, sweetheart.”

The teenage girl shot her brother a worried look, but Nico just shook his head and indicated with his hand for her to do as their father said.

“Nico, go get the belt,” Hades instructed calmly.

Nico’s head whipped towards his father. “What? I did what you told me to do!”

“And took your fucking time about it. I do not tolerate disobedience in my house.”

“Yes father,” Nico whispered.

“Oh, and bring that boy over for dinner some time. If you want to hang out with him so damn badly, I will decide if he is suitable company.”

“Yes father.”

 

…

 

“Kick with the side of your foot, not the tip of your toes. If you kick it that way the ball will just fly into the air. Plus, you could hurt your foot. When you kick from the side,” Luke demonstrated the proper kick, sending his soccer ball across the field, “It stays low and travels far.”

Nico nodded, even though he was more interested in watching Luke’s face than his feet. He’d started to sweat, but it looked good on him. Nico realized that was a weird thing to say, but it was true. When Nico sweat he looked flushed and damp. When Luke sweat, he just sort of…  glistened _._

“Ready to try again? Your aim was right last time, you just kicked too high. I bet this time you’ll get it.” If someone else had said that to Nico, he would have felt like they were being condescending, but not Luke. He knew Luke genuinely wanted Nico to succeed. And for that reason, Nico also wanted to succeed.

“Sure.”

Luke ran down the field to pick up the kicked soccer ball, then tossed the ball to Nico, where it landed almost directly at his feet. Nico tried to remember how Luke had looked when he kicked the ball and imitated it to the best of his ability.

The ball went straight to the blond, who had to stop it with his foot. “That was perfect!” He hollered, sprinting back to wear Nico stood. “Dude you nailed it.” He hugged Nico, nearly lifting him off the ground. Nico flinched, the pressure of hands unwelcomed on his still-raw back, even if it was Luke who was hugging him, and even if it was kind of a dream come true.

“Sorry, too much?” Luke asked, releasing Nico and scratching his head awkwardly.

“You’re all sweaty,” Nico said as an excuse, bopping the taller boy on the nose. “It’s gross.”

Luke laughed, wiping sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he rubbed the sweaty hand on Nico’s shirt.

“Dude! Disgusting!” Nico complained, though he had to laugh, too.

“I’ll let you get revenge,” Luke promised, “If you can catch me!” He took off running.

“Hey! Get back here!” The shorter boy shouted, starting after the blond. “Your legs are way longer! No fair!”

“What’s that?” Luke called back, “I can’t hear you!”

They laughed and ran around the field until both of them tired and Luke just dropped into the grass. When Nico caught up to him, he saw the older boy was just as short of breath as he was.

“You suck,” Nico exclaimed as he laid down beside him.

“You can kick a ball and you’re faster than you let on,” Luke remarked, “Ever think about playing soccer?”

“Yeah right,” Nico snorted. “Do you really see me in a team sport?”

“But what if it was a team sport with me? Coach thinks I might be captain next year. We could be teammates,” Luke rolled to his side and smiled at Nico, who had become fairly sweaty himself.

“And still, I pass,” Nico said. “But this was fun.”

Luke grinned, but it fell quickly as his eye caught on something. “Hey, when you and Alabaster fought on Friday, did he grab you?

“No?” Confused, Nico tried to follow the trail of his eyes.

Oh. _Oh._ Luke had noticed the bruise on Nico’s arm from where his father grabbed him Friday night. “Oh, that’s nothing,” he lied. “I bruise easily. Probably just banged my arm on something.

“You sure? Because if it was Alabaster, I could give him a few bruises, too.”

“It wasn’t him, I promise.” Luke didn’t pursue the issue any further, luckily. He couldn’t imagine how Luke would react if he saw the fresh marks on Nico’s back, left by worn leather.

“Okay, it’s getting dark. I should probably get you home, huh?”

“Probably,” Nico sighed. He wished he never had to go home again. Couldn’t he and Luke just lie in this soccer field forever?

Luke stood and held out a hand to help Nico up. Nico accepted, trying to ignore how it felt to hold the blond’s hand, even if only in an innocent way.

He needed to get his crush problem under control. Nico didn’t exactly have a surplus of friends, the last thing he wanted was to screw up what he had with Luke.

He pulled his hand away immediately after returning to his feet. If he blushed, at least it could probably be blamed on all the running he had just done. Luke didn’t need to know that just a touch could send Nico’s heart racing.

No, Nico would much rather keep that detail to himself.

 

…

 

By the time Nico and Luke made it back to SoHo, the sky had gone completely dark. “Ten minutes before curfew, see, told you I’d get you back in time.”

“Yes,” Nico said, “You did.” He hated his stupid nine o’clock curfew. Luke could probably get home at midnight and his grandmother would just be patiently waiting with cookies.

They were parked in front of the building, but Nico wasn’t eager to get out of the car and Luke hadn’t said anything about it.

“Do you ever really want to do something?” Luke asked, turning to Nico, “Like _really_ want to do something, but you don’t know if it’s a good idea?”

 _Yes, I want to kill my father in his sleep._ Nico had a feeling that wasn’t the answer Luke was looking for, though.

“I guess it depends on the circumstances. Why, something up?”

“Yeah, I’m a shitty mentor,” Luke confessed.

Nico jolted. “What? Why would you say—”

Luke kissed him.

Before Nico could finish his sentence.

Luke. Kissed. Him.

At first, Nico barely realized what was happening. Luke’s face touched his, and then there was a pressure on Nico’s lips, and a hand curling into his hair.

Luke pulled away, looked at him, and smiled. Then, when neither boy seemed able to find words, he leaned in and kissed Nico again.

And Nico kissed back. He had no idea what to do—he’d certainly never kissed anyone before—but he kissed back anyway. Fireworks exploded in Nico’s body with such intensity that he wondered if Luke could feel them resonate within his own body.

Luke drew Nico closer, going as far as to unbuckle Nico’s seatbelt. The kiss broke for only a second as Luke removed Nico from the seatbelt . When their lips met again, Nico realized he should probably close his eyes. That’s what people did, right?

He probably kissed like a train wreck, but Luke didn’t seem to mind. Something wet and warm slid over Nico’s lips and it took Nico a few seconds to understand that it was Luke’s tongue.

Nico had to be dreaming. There was no way he and Luke were kissing in Luke’s car. No way in hell.

And yet, Nico hadn’t woken up yet. After a moment’s hesitation, he parted his lips and let Luke deepen the kiss. As long as Luke led, Nico could probably survive. Probably.

Their tongues met and Nico lost all clear thought. His mind, his heart, and every other part of his body could only repeat one word, over and over again. _Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke._

After a few seconds though, another thought broke through the haze. Oxygen. He pulled away from the blond, gasping for air.

“Damn,” he breathed, unsure what else there was to say.

Luke had a lazy, happy smile on his face. “So, still pretty sure you’re gay?”

Nico nodded vigorously, already thinking about kissing Luke again.

“I hope you don’t hate me for such unprofessional behavior… and this doesn’t make your little fuckhead of a friend right about me, just so we’re clear.”

Nico nodded more, pulling in Luke by his shirt and just resting his face against the blond. Their foreheads touched and Nico was very aware of the fact that he need only lean in one more inch to kiss Luke again. First, however, he had to ask.

“This is what you really wanted to do? Kiss me?”

“Yes. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a few weeks, actually. I’ve been torn about whether or not to act on it, because I wasn’t sure if it was what you wanted.”

Nico withdrew to stare at the other boy. “Weeks? You’ve wanted to kiss me for weeks and you _just_ decided to act on it _now?_ ”

“I could get in a lot of trouble for this, you know,” Luke whispered.

“I know, so could I.” Nico didn’t even want to imagine what his father would do if he knew…

“So for obvious reasons, we can’t date.”

Nico nodded, disappointment seeping into his body without permission. The guy he liked actually liked him back and it didn’t even matter.

“So let’s not date,” Luke said, a mischievous grin taking over his face. _Oh._ Nico mirrored the expression.

“No dating here.”

Luke shot forward and their lips met again. Nico didn’t waste time worrying with this kiss, however. He threw his arms around Luke and kissed him like the world was ending. Then, somehow, Nico found himself barely in his seat, half on top of the console and half on top of Luke. Nico didn’t even recall how he got into such a weird position and he didn’t care. Luke’s tongue was in his mouth and that was about all he could process.

At some point, Luke’s mouth moved down to Nico’s neck and he left kisses there, sucking gently on the boy’s skin. Nico released a breathy sigh and hoped for the love of all that was good that Luke wouldn’t stop. He hadn’t known neck kisses could feel so good.

By complete chance, Nico’s eyes landed on the clock in Luke’s car. Eight fifty-eight pm. Huh.

“Shit!” He had less than two minutes to get upstairs before he was late. In all of the kissing mania, Nico had completely forgotten the time. “Curfew, I have to go!”

Luke pouted. “Damn it. Are you free tomorrow?”

“If my parents let me leave I am.”

“Maybe we could… hang out tomorrow?”

Nico’s entire body felt flushed. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Luke leaned in and kissed Nico once more, almost managing to distract the younger boy all over again. “Luke! I have to go now!”

“Right. Sorry.” He pulled back. “You’d better run, don’t want you getting grounded.”

“I can barely breathe and you want me to run?”

Luke kissed Nico on the lips so quickly Nico barely even noticed it happened, then shoved him. “Run! Run like you’re chasing me across the soccer field.”

“Okay. I’ll text you!” Nico called, flying out of the car.

“Not if I call you first.” Nico heard Luke closing the passenger door, but he only spared himself one last glance as he burst through the front door of the building. Luke watched him go, biting on a smile.

Nico smiled the entire way up the stairs.

What a day.

 

…

 

In the week following the kiss, Nico and Luke saw each other every single day.

Each day they found somewhere to go. The days would begin like they used to. Just friend stuff. Hanging out, watching movies, playing soccer… Then they’d be kissing in Luke’s car, on his couch, in the grass at the fields…

Luke’s car had perhaps become their most common spot. They’d find somewhere quiet to park it if they could, and then Luke would pull Nico close and mold their lips together. On Thursday, they’d actually had to move to the backseat because kissing in the front had been getting too cramped. Not the most romantic thing, but Nico didn’t care much.

He’d laid awake that night, dreaming of another situation in which he and Luke found themselves in the backseat of the car. When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were embarrassingly inappropriate.

It wasn’t all fun and dirty dreams, however. The more Nico was out of the house, the angrier his father became. “Never hear of eating dinner with your family, Nicky?” Hades asked Friday night as he slammed Nico against the wall.

Two bruises on his wrist, a slap to the face, a bloody nose.

Saturday was the first day Nico didn’t see Luke.

“I can’t hang out today,” Nico said, staring longingly out the window. “My dad says I have to do chores.”

“Oh, man, that sucks. What if I came over and helped? Then you could finish faster.”

Nico’s frown deepened. “Yeah, I doubt my dad would be okay with that.”

“It’s not like I’d be wearing my ‘I make out with your son’ t-shirt or anything. I promise I’ll leave it at home today.” The blond laughed, which only made Nico sadder. He wished he could have the kind of life where Luke could just come and hang over.

“Considerate, but no go. I have to do my own chores or my dad will just find more for me to do.”

“Okay, I’ll call you tonight then, I guess.”

“You’d better,” Nico almost smiled.

“Maybe I’ll kiss myself. I mean, it won’t be the same as kissing _you,_ but I’m a tough guy. I can make it a day.  Probably.”

“Good luck with that,” Nico did smile this time, “Talk to you tonight.”

“Hey wait,” Luke interrupted. “Before you go, the 4th of July is on Wednesday, do you want to go to Coney Island? They’ll have fireworks at night. It wouldn’t be a date or anything, you could even bring Bianca.”

“I’ll ask, okay?” Nico said, even though he doubted he’d ever be seeing those fireworks.

 

…

 

Punishment chores.

Scrub the bathrooms down with a toothbrush, iron all the sheets, wash the windows, dust the ceiling fans. None of these things actually had to be done, but it was what his father demanded.

By lunch, Nico wasn’t just sore from the beating he’d taken the previous night. By dinner, he could barely feel his body.

“Hey, Dad?” Nico prompted, speaking as gently as possible. He had to word this perfectly.

“Yes?” Hades di Angelo raised an eyebrow.

“Wednesday is the 4th of July and… Luke invited me, actually me and Bianca, to go to Coney Island. I’d probably be out after curfew, but Bianca would be with me the whole time... Would that be okay with you?” He hesitantly met his father’s eyes.

Hades had lowered his fork, eyeing his son with distaste. “Luke Luke Luke all day long. Have I not persuaded you out of that friendship yet?” It was a gentle way of asking _have I not beaten that friendship out of you, yet?_

“Please, father. I’ll do whatever you want if you let me go.”

Nico’s father tapped his chin, seeming to enjoy the way his son squirmed. “Invite him over to dinner tomorrow. If I think he’d good company to keep, you can go. If I don’t like him, you are never going to hang out with him again. That’s the offer, Nicky. Take it or leave it.”

When Hades used the word never, Nico knew he meant it. Still, Luke was a likable guy. If he could survive just one night…

“I suppose I can ask him.”

“Thank your father for being so generous, Amore,” his mother reminded, a timid quality to her voice.

“Thank you, father,” Nico said, wondering if he had just signed his own death certificate.

**…**

 

“You’ll need to bring out the second table and push it against this one,” Hades instructed, watching Nico like a hawk as he tidied the kitchen.

“For five people?” Nico asked, scratching his brow.

“Eight. Did I not tell you? I invited the Torringtons for dinner as well.”

Nico nearly snapped a plate in half. “What?”

His father gave a wicked smile and Nico nearly leaned into the sink to vomit. Hades lived to torture Nico, and he knew just how to do it.

Worst case scenario: Alabaster spilled the beans about Luke’s sexuality. Best case scenario: Alabaster fell out a window and landed on Hades.

At this rate, even if Luke did get the seal of approval, he could still go running for the hills. Or maybe he’d really punch Alabaster in the face. That would end well.

Nico considered calling the whole thing off, but knew his father would never let him at this point.

“Problem, Nicky?”

“No, sir,” Nico whispered.

 

…

 

Alabaster’s family arrived first. Atlas, Alabaster’s father, stepped in arm-in-arm with his wife Pleione, Alabaster’s stepmother. He’d never known his real mother, and Nico wondered if that was why his former friend had turned out so awful. Pleione was little more than an idiot and his father was friend’s with Nico’s father—which was pretty much all one needed to know about him.

“Atlas, my friend,” Hades greeted, shaking Mr. Torrington’s hand.

Nico looked away to avoid rolling his eyes. His maniac of a father had more friends than he did. Then again, they were all of similar kindheartedness.

“Maria!” Hades yelled. “Bianca! Get in here and welcome our guests.”

Bianca was frowning when she came into the room, and even when she smiled at the newly arrived family, Nico could see the frown carry on in her eyes.

Nico had explained to her a few days ago the true nature of his fight with Alabaster, and now he assumed that his sister had come to the same realization as Nico. Alabaster could tell everyone that Luke was gay—well, bisexual, but he doubted his father knew the difference. Queer was queer—and then it wouldn’t be long before they started to suspect that Nico was one, too.

Maria gave a polite smile and wave before turning to Nico. “Amore, does your friend have any allergies that you know of? I should have asked sooner.”

“No, mamma,” Nico responded, shooting a nervous glance in Alabaster’s direction.

“Friend?” Alabaster perked up.

_No no no._

“Oh, right, we’re being joined by Nico’s mentor friend tonight. Luke something or other,” Hades grabbed his son’s wrist and pulled him closer to the group, then turned to Atlas. “Can’t have our sons hanging out with just anyone, needs the seal of approval first.” He laughed and clapped Nico on the back— _hard._

The families moved toward the kitchen, but Nico remained frozen. Alabaster, at the back of the group, bumped against Nico’s shoulder.

“Oops,” he mumbled. “My bad.”

As he started to walk away, Nico reached out and stopped him. He looked around to assure that they were the only two left in the entryway, then pulled Alabaster closer.

“Do your parents know you’re running around with a fag?”

Nico tensed. “Alabaster, I’m begging you. If at any point in eight years of friendship you ever gave even _half_ a shit about me, don’t say anything. Please. Please just give me this one thing.”

Alabaster’s face no wore expression.

Before Nico could press him further, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Nico called, feeling more than a little dizzy. He hadn’t even had a chance to text Luke to warn him.

_God, if You exist, and if You care, please let tonight go well._

Nico opened the door. Luke Castellan stood on the other side, looking as handsome as ever. He wore a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, just like the night they met. This one was black, and for a second Nico smiled. He and Luke were matching, although Nico just wore a long-sleeved black shirt. (The sleeves were to cover up his lovely black and blue wrist.)

“Hey,” Nico greeted, his stomach so twisted with nerves that he doubted he’d actually be eating at any point during this dinner.

“Hey yourself,” Luke grinned. The second he stepped inside though, his eyes landed on Alabaster, who still hadn’t moved.

“Who is—”

“I don’t think you two have met. This is, um—”

“Alabaster Torrington,” the boy in question replied.

For only a millisecond, Luke’s expression changed. Then he managed to put the smile back on his face, though it wasn’t so genuine anymore.

“My father invited Alabaster and his family over for dinner as well,” Nico announced, though that seemed fairly obvious now.

“I’ll let you two _boys_ chat,” Alabaster announced, smiling smugly before finally heading toward the kitchen.

Luke’s smile fell. “You never said—”

“My father only mentioned it thirty minutes ago. I wasn’t able to text you.”

The blond nodded. “Okay, it’s fine. I’m not mad.”

“I begged him to keep his mouth shut, but if he doesn’t—”

“If he doesn’t, I’ll show him how hard a _fag_ can punch,” he mumbled.

Nico pursed his lips. “Well, I guess I should go introduce you to everyone.”

“Let’s do this.” Luke winked at the shorter boy and then allowed Nico to lead the way.

As they walked, Nico focused on his breathing. Inhale. _Don’t panic._ Exhale. _You can do this._ Inhale. _Luke can do this._ Exhale.

They entered the eating area just as everyone was beginning to sit down. Nico cleared his throat.

Six sets of eyes turned to stare at them. Nico could practically hear Luke swallow.

Maria spoke first. “Hello, you must be Luke.”

“This is my mother, Maria,” Nico supplied as the woman came forward.

Luke shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

"Piacere mio," she replied with a smile. Luke returned the smile awkwardly, having no idea that she had just returned the sentiment in Italian.

“My sister Bianca,” Nico nodded in his sister’s direction. She waved. “Then the Torringtons… Atlas, Pleione, and Alabaster,” the last name came out sounding higher than he intended.

Alabaster just kept smirking to himself.

“Then my father, Hades.” For the first time, Nico chanced a look at his father. Hades studied the blond at Nico’s side closely, like he planned to cut him open and dissect him on the dinner table.

“Hello,” Luke reached out to shake the man’s hand. If only he’d known how many injuries Nico had suffered by those hands. Of course, then he never would have agreed to come here tonight.

Nico was starting to wish he hadn’t.

“My son seems to enjoy your company, let’s hope you live up to the hype,” Hades acted like it was a joke, but Nico knew the truth. He hadn’t told Luke about all that was at stake. “Make a good impression or I’m never allowed to hang out with you again” probably would have only made Luke more anxious than he already was.

Luke gave a small, nervous laugh.

“Come boys, sit down,” Maria prompted, motioning at the table. As it turned out, the two seats left were between Nico’s father and mother. Hades and Atlas had taken the heads of the table, with Mrs. Torrington, Alabaster, and Bianca on the far side and Maria on the near one.

Even though his body screamed in protest at the thought of being within reaching distance of his father, Nico took the seat beside him. He didn’t want his father right next to Luke. Bianca sat directly across from Nico and gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. Nico may have felt comforted by it if it weren’t Alabaster beside her. He had the seat opposite of Luke, and the fact seemed to fill the boy with equal parts disgust and amusement.

“I guess I better go get the food. Bianca, will you help per favore?” Bianca nodded, “Oh and Luke, I never asked, you eat meat, right?”

“Yes ma’am,” Luke replied politely.

Alabaster quirked an eyebrow. “Bet he does,” he muttered under his breath, though none of the adults appeared to be listening to him. Nico wished he could kick the other boy under the table without getting noticed.

If Alabaster Torrington ruined the only chance Luke had of winning Hades’ approval, Nico would throw his goddamn Xbox in the Hudson River.

Bianca and Nico’s mother disappeared to the kitchen, leaving just Pleione and the men at the table. “Tell me, Luke,” Atlas said, “What do you think of your high school? Pleione thought maybe we’d have been better off sending Alabaster to one of those boarding schools upstate. Kids find themselves in trouble a lot at Meriwether?”

“I’ve enjoyed my time at the school. Not much trouble. The building isn’t as old as some schools in the area.”

“I like old buildings,” Nico’s father chimed in. “They have character.”

Hades always spoke of character. Buildings with character, people with character. Nico found it ironic, considering who his father was. Still, it was this love of character that had kept the di Angelo family in this same musty old apartment that Hades’ own parents had lived in during their younger years. Nico’s family was by no means rich, but they could have certainly afforded to move somewhere newer. Not to mention the fact that the building sat right on the border of Little Italy.

Luke, perhaps realizing for the first time that the apartment he currently sat in was in fact quite old, nodded. “Certainly. But not all older buildings are as well maintained as ones like this. When was this place built?”

“Early twentieth century. Back when Little Italy was still full of authentic, honest to God Italians. Are you Italian, boy?”

“No, sir. English and Irish. And German on my mother’s side.”

Nico cringed slightly. His father was weird about Italian heritage.—almost as if he believed someone who didn’t have Italian blood wasn’t quite a real person. Atlas was almost as bad, which Nico found hypocritical considering the man’s own father hadn’t a drop of Italian blood.

The corner of Hades’ lips curved down. “I see.”

Mercifully, Maria and Bianca returned to the table with the food at that point and everyone got straight to eating.

Even though Nico cursed Alabaster’s presence at the table, he was marginally thankful for Atlas. He and Nico’s father carried on cordial conversation, allowing Luke to have a few minutes of piece.

When the conversation did tilt back to Luke, he answered every question with grace. He talked about his grandmother—though, he left out the part about his mother’s mental illness—and told stories of his victories on the school soccer team. Nico’s mother smiled a lot, and Nico felt peace in knowing that Luke had at least won her over. Hades’ approval was the one that mattered more in the end, but something about knowing that Nico’s mother—one of the most important people in his life—approved of the guy who Nico spent all of his time with made Nico feel good inside. Maybe one day, Nico would be able to tell her the truth about his sexuality. Maybe.

Alabaster—aside from several snide comments muttered under his breath—remained quiet through the meal. Maybe he did have a heart, after all. Or, who knew, maybe he was waiting to use this whole night as some sick blackmail. Nico was only just starting to see how much like their fathers Alabaster was. It made him feel dirty to have ever been friends with him.

The meal came to an end with no real blowouts. Still, that didn’t mean much. Who knew what was simmering under the di Angelo patriarch’s cool composure.

Mercifully, Pleione had overdone it on the wine again and the Torringtons prepared to leave almost immediately after they finished their food. “See you tomorrow, friend,” Atlas told Hades as his slightly intoxicated wife was led out the door by her step-son. “Remember, our shipment will be delivered to the warehouse at—”

“I remember.” Nico’s father assured. Nico frowned. Whenever his father talked business, it made Nico uncomfortable. Maybe because Nico had never once been to his office or even exactly been informed on what it was his father sold. Still, he knew better than to question his father, and something told Nico that knowing the truth would not make him feel any better.

“Goodnight, then.” The door shut and then Luke was left alone with the di Angelo family.

“I think I’ll go prepare some tea,” Maria announced, returning to the kitchen. Her husband nodded, looking down at his cell phone.

“I actually need to make a business call, it’s Monday morning in China. Excuse me.” He dialed a number on his phone as he disappeared down the hall toward his room.

“I think I’ll go… help Mom,” Bianca threw her thumb in the direction of the kitchen and backed away.

Luke and Nico shared a nervous smile as they found themselves left alone in the front entryway. “So, you think they liked me?”

Nico’s eyes drifted the way his father had gone. “My mom does, I think. It’s hard to tell though, with my dad. My father is… complicated”

Luke nodded, “Mine is, too. And by that I mean, I’ve met him twice in my whole life. Neither time was too pleasant, though.”

Nico had never heard the older boy mention a father figure. “You’re probably not missing out on much.”

Luke nodded again. “So, wanna show me your room?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nico motioned for the blond to follow him as they crossed through the living room and to the hallway of Nico’s bedroom. He figured doing this wasn’t so suspicious. It wasn’t like his parents had any reason to be wary of Nico and Luke being left alone together. As far as they were concerned, both boys were both perfectly straight, and Nico was fine with letting them continue to believe that. Without worrying over it too much, Nico led Luke into his bedroom and shut the door behind them.

Nico’s room wasn’t the most exciting place in the world. He kept it clean in every aspect of the word. There were no pictures or posters on his walls, his bedspread was a dark, solid color, and his walls were the same color they had been for the last who knew how many years.

“I’ve never seen a fourteen year old boy with such a tidy room,” Luke shared, wandering over and examining the few decorations on top of Nico’s dresser. Three picture frames sat propped up, showing Nico and Bianca as children visiting Italy, Maria when she was still pregnant with Nico and a smiling toddler Bianca pressing her hands to her mother’s stomach, and lastly one of Nico as a young boy, mouth wide open with laughter. The other object laying on the wood was an old, faded leather cuff bracelet that had belonged to his late grandfather on his mother’s side. He’d worn it all his life, until the last day of Nico’s last trip to Italy, when he had passed off the bracelet to a ten year old Nico. He cherished the gift, but hadn’t quite grown into it. When the weather cooled off, he would often carry it around in the pocket of his aviator jacket. In the warmer months however, he kept it in his room as a memory of the only male adult figure in his life who had ever believed in him.

“This is a cute picture,” Luke smiled, holding up the one of Nico laughing. Nico stepped in closer to look at the picture again. He didn’t even remember when it had been taken, or why he had been laughing, but it was nice to look at the photograph and realize that he was capable of happiness.

“You better not be mocking me,” Nico said, taking the picture and setting it back down in its place on the dresser. “And I have to keep my room tidy. Dad hates messes.” _And me. He hates me._

“I’d never mock you,” Luke said. “Well, maybe if you were _really_ being a dork but—”

“Shut up,” Nico lightly pinched his arm.

Luke laughed. “Hi, by the way. I feel like we barely got to talk tonight. And I haven’t seen you since Friday.”

“So you missed me?”

Luke’s eyes met Nico’s, their clear ice blue freezing the younger boy in place. _So handsome._

“You bet I did,” Luke scanned the room quickly, as if making sure that no surveillance cameras hung from the ceiling. Then, apparently deciding they were safe, he angled his head down and met Nico’s lips.

It was hard not to fall completely into the kiss. After almost two full days of not seeing each other, being close like this again was like stepping out of the dirty city air and right into a fresh, pure forest. Everything simply felt better when Luke and Nico kissed.

Although, he had to admit, kissing a boy in his apartment while his father was home was probably one of the stupider things he could have done. He did it anyway, though.

The blond boy smiled into the kiss, looping his arms around Nico and pulling him closer. Their height difference always became more evident when they kissed while standing. Poor Luke had to account for an eight inch height difference, so Nico stretched onto his toes to make the older boy bend less. He hoped that he’d start shooting up in height like his classmates pretty soon, because being five foot four was pretty inconvenient.

Luke’s tongue brushed over Nico’s lip, and Nico swore he could feel it all over his body. He was starting to understand why all the straight guys in his class talked about kissing girls so much. If it was anything like kissing other boys…

The door opened.

So fast Nico almost stumbled and fell to the floor, Luke and Nico tore apart. Panic consumed the smaller boy.

It was only Bianca, though, thank God. She stood in the doorway, her eyes drifting between the two boys curiously. There was no hiding what they had been doing when she opened the door, but again, Nico knew there were worse things that could have happened. What if that had been his _father?_

“The tea is ready,” Bianca announced gently, “And father is almost finished with his phone call.”

Nico didn’t miss the warning in her voice. He nodded. “Thanks, B.”

 

…

 

“So, you free tomorrow?” Luke asked as Nico walked him out of the building that night.

Truth be told, Nico still didn’t know if he’d be allowed to see Luke again. Everything hinged on what his father said, and so far the man had been silent. Still, Nico wouldn’t allow that to stop him from seeing the blond one way or another.

“I’ll have to see about tomorrow. And Wednesday. But soon, for sure.”

“Good,” Luke smiled, tilting his head toward the younger boy. They were standing just outside the front doors of the building. “Can I kiss you?” He whispered.

Nico wanted to. Oh, he wanted to. “I think we’ve risked enough tonight.”

Luke pouted endearingly, but nodded in agreement anyway. “You’re probably right. You don’t think your sister will…”

Nico shook his head. “She would never say anything. Trust me.” Nico and Bianca were united in their fear of their father. He knew she wouldn’t breathe a word about it to him, or to their mother. While she feared Hades as well, Maria di Angelo also still felt some lingering love for the man. And with that came a shred of loyalty. Nico doubted that shred would ever be enough to make her out her own son, but he still felt better knowing that she would be safe in her ignorance.

“Okay,” a small smile played across Luke’s lips. “I’ll text you later.”

Damn, Nico wanted to kiss him. “Yeah, later.”

When Nico got upstairs, his father sat in a chair in the living room. “Come sit,” he instructed.

Nico swallowed, his mouth so dry he may as well have been sucking on cotton balls. “Yes, father?” His hands shook.

“Your friend seems very… polite. I like that he plays sports. Seems like a well mannered young man.”

Nico nodded vigorously, “Yes, he’s very nice, and very well-mannered.”

“This is what I’m willing to allow. You _and_ your sister may go to Coney Island on Wednesday.” Nico’s heart lifted at the words. Could he really be okay with it?

“But,” Hades continued, “You have to be home by midnight, not a second later. And I have a list of chores you will have to complete beforehand.”

What other chores could Nico possibly do? He’d scrubbed the whole damn apartment. Nico could already feel his elbows and knees aching, but he didn’t argue. He wouldn’t dare turn up his nose at the offer.

“Thank you, father. Thank you.”

“But, it would certainly be unfortunate if you were to disappoint me, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay, now get out of my sight.”

Nico wasted no time leaving the room.

When he made it back to his bedroom, he found Bianca perched on the edge of the bed. “So, am I going to be crashing a date on Wednesday?” She asked in a low voice.

Nico shot forward. “No, no it’s not like—”

“Look, I’m not telling you how to live your life, but if you want to _continue_ living, I would keep your romantic life out of the house.” From anyone else, the words may have sounded harsh, but Nico knew Bianca genuinely cared about his wellbeing.

“I know. That was a little irresponsible of me.”

“You really like him,” she noted, it wasn’t a question, so Nico didn’t answer.

With a sigh, he joined her on the bed. “Am I a complete idiot?”

“No,” Bianca whispered, ruffling his hair, “Not a complete one.”

He smiled at her. What would he ever do without his sister?

 

…

 

Nico saw Luke again briefly on Monday, and they made up for all the kissing they’d missed out on Sunday night. They had driven to the soccer fields to play some more, but never ended up getting out of the car.

Tuesday they regrettably didn’t see each other at all. This however, had more do to the fact that Nico was in too much pain to hang out. His father had decided to kick Nico in the stomach so hard his entire abdomen felt bruised.

Wednesday, however, was the Fourth. No amount of sore muscles would have made Nico miss out on that. Even Bianca seemed enthusiastic as she rubbed half a bottle of sunscreen into Nico’s arms and legs. Somehow, she’d gotten him into a pair of shorts. Nico frowned down at his legs, impossibly paler than the rest of his body. Why hadn’t he gotten his mother’s more olive-toned skin, like Bianca?

“You really think I’ll get a sunburn? Half of the time we’re there it will be dark.”

“Well, it’s the middle of the afternoon now, and I can’t have a tomato for a brother,” Bianca teased, bopping his nose.

“ _Beeeeee,_ ” he whined. “I’m fourteen, not four.”

“You’re never too old for your big sister to tease you,” she smiled, “Now come on, your not-date is gonna be here soon.” Nico rolled his eyes.

She wore a white sunhat, and with her blue jean shorts and red top she looked like the epitome of American pride. Nico, on the other hand, had been persuaded into a navy blue t-shirt with black shorts. Bianca considered it progress, Nico liked to humor her.

Luke arrived at two o’clock sharp. Nico answered the door, a smile a little too wide to be casual on his face. He schooled his features quickly, however. After all, his father had the day off today, and he could come to the door at any moment.

“Hey,” Luke greeted, throwing Nico a toothy smile. Nico couldn’t get over Luke’s smile. In particular, he couldn’t get over the fact that Luke smiled at _him_ like that. So rarely did people smile at Nico. Even strangers averted their eyes.

“Hey,” Nico replied, taking in Luke’s appearance. He wore a faded blue shirt that made his eyes pop more than usual and khaki shorts, which Nico had found fairly douchebaggy before seeing Luke in them. A pair of sunglasses hung from the front of his shirt, and he looked more like a college student than a seventeen year old.

Why did he like Nico again?

“Hey Luke,” Bianca chimed, sliding on a small string backpack.

“How’s it going Bianca?”

“Good. You need some sunscreen? I have SPF 30 in my backpack, and SPF 50 for Nico.”

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes. Luke laughed. “I’m fine.”

Hades approached the trio, a stern look on his face. “I expect you two in the door by midnight. Not a minute later.”

“Yes, father,” Nico promised. “Not a minute later.”

“Do not disappoint me,” he eyed Luke carefully, “And enjoy yourselves.” The teenagers said their goodbyes and left the apartment while Maria yelled in Italian for them to have a good day.

“Your dad is pretty intense, huh?” Luke noted as they made their way down to his car.

“You have no idea,” Nico mumbled.

 

…

 

The sun was hot, the lines were long, the people were loud, and Nico was having a fantastic day. They’d gone on rides, eaten all kinds of food, and laughed so hard Nico’s torso hurt in a new kind of way.

Bianca and Luke got along wonderfully, much to Nico’s enjoyment. She didn’t comment on the kiss even or inquire about the extent of Nico and Luke’s relationship. Instead, they took turns asking Nico if he needed more sunscreen and laughed when he got touchy about it.

They kicked around on the beach for a while, but didn’t actually get in the water. Even if Nico _had_ felt like it, he couldn’t exactly take off his shirt. His clothes weren’t the only things that were black and blue, after all. Luke did drag them over to play some carnival-type games, though. Nico blushed when Luke won a prize and tried to give it to him, handing it off to Bianca instead.

Dusk had only just fallen and there was still over an hour to kill until fireworks when it seemed the trio had done everything there was to do. “You want to go on some of rides again?” Luke propositioned. “The Ferris Wheel probably has a pretty cool view right now, with so many boats out on the water.”

“Sure,” Nico agreed, unable to admit that he’d have gone anywhere Luke suggested. “We’d better go get in line.”

“Uh, you guys go,” Bianca said, taking off her hat and shoving it into the string backpack. “I think I’m going to go get some more cotton candy. Let’s meet on the beach in one hour for the fireworks, okay?”

Nico nearly protested. He was supposed to stay with Bianca all day, that had been the condition, hadn’t it? Even if his father never found out, could Nico just leave his sister alone among all these strangers?

However, he didn’t protest. Part of him recognized what Bianca’s real intentions were. She wanted to give Nico and Luke alone time and, well, how could he argue her on that? “Okay, I have my cell phone on me if you can’t find us or something.”

She agreed to call if necessary and then shot her younger brother a knowing smile before wandering off.

“Your sister is totally on to us,” Luke chuckled.

“Well, she did see us making out in my bedroom,” Nico acknowledged.

“This is true.”

If Nico had one complaint about Ferris Wheels, it was that one could not effectively kiss someone while on the bench opposite of theirs. They hadn’t kissed since Luke brought Nico home Monday and, for Nico, two days was beginning to feel like a long time. Just spending time together was enjoyable too, though. Nico and Luke got along so well that Nico couldn’t help but wonder if at one point down the road they would date after all. Far far down the road, but still.

After the ride, the boys still had a bit of time before they needed to meet Bianca. They ended up making out behind some ring toss game, which Nico had to admit was a little awkward. Every minute or so, someone would happen to walk by, and Nico had no doubt that these passerby knew what Nico and Luke were up to, but he took solace in the fact that none of these people knew him.

Fifteen minutes before the fireworks were due to start, they set off for the beach in search of Bianca.

“Have you had fun so far?” Luke asked, needing to speak loudly to be heard over the crowd.

“Yeah. And look, I’m not even… _that_ sunburned.”

Luke snorted and his eyes dropped to Nico’s lips, like maybe he was thinking about kissing him again.

“You and your sister are really close, it’s refreshing. All of my friends with siblings complain about it all the time, but not you.”

“I’m lucky in that respect, I guess,” Nico said, finally spotting the back of her dark brown head.

“You are. You really are.”

 

…

 

Nico had never seen fireworks this clearly before. Any fireworks shot off around Manhattan island were blocked by the sheer size of other buildings. A stretching neck and an open window were not the golden combination for firework viewing. But out on the beach, beneath the open sky, Nico could watch the colorful explosions uninterrupted.

Luke smiled down at Nico more than he watched the fireworks. “I’ve never seen someone so excited about fireworks,” he laughed.

“But look at them, Luke!” Nico exclaimed, “That one looked like it would just shoot straight up and do nothing but then it changed colors and got _huge._ ”

Bianca was lost in the display, saying nothing. She had a childlike smile on her face, and it made everything more spectacular. So rarely did Bianca look like an actual teenage girl, still growing into the world. Like Nico, she’d been an adult before she could even pronounce her R’s correctly. So was life at the di Angelo household.

But tonight, tonight Bianca’s smile made it hard to believe anything could ever be wrong in the world.

Luke took Nico’s hand, intertwining their fingers in a subtle manner. In any other circumstance, Nico would have torn his fingers away instantly. Tonight, however, on the beach and surrounded by firework watchers, no one was paying any attention to two teenage boys. Nico squeezed Luke’s hand gently and his smile widened.

“Happy Fourth of July, by the way,” Luke said into Nico’s ear.

Nico felt like celebrating independence all right—his own. Because, even if just for the night, Nico felt completely, undeniably, beautifully, free.

 

…

 

The summer was racing by faster than it ever had for Nico. The first week of July became the second, and then the third. Luke and Nico began talking more about high school, orientation, summer reading, the end of summer mixer between the new freshmen and their senior buddies.

School would start up again in only a month, and Nico would officially be attending the same school as Luke. He could hardly wait. Even his father had started to become slightly more accepting of Luke’s presence. Nico’s father thought Luke was a real man’s man. Disciplined, athletic, tall, charming. A lot of things that Nico was not, basically.

Of course, how Nico could become any stronger with his father beating the crap out of him on an almost daily basis? “You’re going to be in high school, Nicky,” he would taunt. “You can handle this, can’t you? How weak are you?”

It turned out that Nico was pretty weak, because one evening, after his father punched him in the face twice and left several belt marks on his back, he retreated to his room to cry. Yes, he cried sometimes. And he hated himself for it.

Bianca had tried to come in to talk to him, but Nico wouldn’t let her. He hated for his sister to see him like this. “Go to your room, B. Just stay in your room.”

When his phone started to ring, Nico almost didn’t answer. It had to be Luke calling. Luke was the only one who ever called him at night. He really wasn’t in a state to talk to Luke right now. He would just let it go to voicemail.

It was after two or three rings that he remembered he was supposed to sneak out for milkshakes with Luke tonight. _Damn._

Hesitantly, he answered the phone. “Hello?” He greeted, knowing that Luke would be able to hear the roughness in his voice.

“Nico?” Luke asked, clearly concerned.

“I—I can’t really come out tonight,” he choked out. “Sorry.”

“I’m outside already. What’s wrong?”

“No—I’m—Just—I can’t talk,” he said. His voice broke and more tears spilled out. Shit. Shit. He had to pull himself together. That was the thing about crying. Starting was easy. Stopping wasn’t. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”

“Nico, you are not fine. What happened?”

“N—nothing.” God, what a great liar he was. A truly fantastic liar.

“Put down the fire escape ladder, I’m coming up.”

“No!” Nico squeaked. “D—don’t come up here. I—I can’t see you tonight.” His bloodied, already swelling face would probably keep Nico indoors for quite some time. His father didn’t usually hurt Nico in places where others could see.

“You’re freaking me out. Please let me come up there. I’m getting out of my car now.”

Nico’s stomach lurched. “Wait, no. Stay there. Don’t get out of your car, okay? I—I’ll come down. Give me a minute.” His words shook and Nico wondered if Luke could even understand him through the tears. Still, he hung up the phone. He opened up his bedroom window, wiping his eyes on as his shirt as he stepped through it. Talking to Luke would not be pretty, but Nico didn’t see another choice. If he had refused to go down, he had no doubt in his mind that Luke would have found a way up one way or another, and that couldn’t possibly end well.

Nico’s legs felt weak as he descended the flight of stairs. When he reached the ladder, he wondered if he could climb down without falling. The drop was the worst part. When it came time for Nico to dangle and drop to the ground, his fingers slipped and he nearly landed on his ass when he hit the pavement. Luke’s car was parked out front, like usual. Nico took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and walked toward the passenger door.

Luke nearly jumped over the console the second the door opened. “What’s wro—shit.” He fell back into his seat. Nico sat and shut the door, closing both of the boys into the car. He couldn’t even look at Luke. All of his attention was focused on not crying.

“What happened? Who did this to you?” He raised his hand to Nico’s face, but stopped short of touching it.

Nico only shook his head. He’d never told anyone, not a single person, just how cruel his father was. Even Alabaster only had the faintest idea. Nico was too terrified that if he ever told the truth, his father would literally kill him. Or worse.

Nico didn’t want to think about worse.

“Was it Alabaster? I’ll kick his goddamn fucking ass.”

Nico shook his head again.

“Was it someone on the street? Someone you know? Talk to me, Neeks.”

Still, Nico didn’t respond. He didn’t trust his voice for even a second. If he opened his mouth, all the tears and pain and frustration would come roaring back.

“Nico, it wasn’t… Did your father do this?”

Nico spared Luke a sideways glance. He wasn’t sure what the older boy saw in his eyes, but the blond teenager tensed immediately.

“He did, didn’t he?”

Nico gave a single nod.

“Fuck,” Luke muttered, running his hand up his face and pushing his hair back. “Fuck. Fuck. Has he ever hit you before?”

Another nod. Nico couldn’t look anywhere near the blond anymore. He lowered his head.

Luke was silent for a few dragging seconds, making Nico feel uneasy enough to throw up. “So, the day we kissed at the fields, that bruise on your arm…”

Tears slid down Nico’s cheeks. Luke gently reached over to brush a few away as they dripped down his face. “Say something, Nico. Please. How long has this been going on for?”

“M—my whole life, I guess,” Nico murmured, “But it’s got worse as I g—got older.”

Nico could practically hear the pieces clicking together in Luke’s mind. Nico’s desperate need to be home by curfew every night, his terror at the thought of coming out to his family, the way his demeanor changed whenever his father was around. Now Luke understood all of it.

“Jesus Christ. And you just keep this all bottled up? Does your mother know? Does he hurt Bianca, too?” Luke looked ready to rip the steering wheel right out of his car. “What kind of fucked up—”

“I don’t want to talk about this, Luke,” Nico told him, “I can’t. Just… distract me, please.” He swallowed around a lump of tears. “I don’t want to go back in there.” A small sob escaped his throat.

Luke leaned in and gently placed his arms round Nico, kissing his shoulder. “Shh,” he whispered. “Deep breaths, Neeks. You don’t have to go inside. Stay out here with me, okay?”

“We were supposed to get milkshakes,” Nico recalled. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t care about the milkshakes, Nico.” He opened up his glove compartment and retrieved a napkin. “You have some dried blood under your nose and at the corner of your mouth.”

Nico scratched away at the blood with the napkin. “Thanks.”

“You should probably put some ice on your face, or something frozen.”

“That would involve leaving my bedroom. Dad’s in a real mood tonight. I just—I—I—”

“Breathe, remember. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Nico nodded. He needed to find a distraction before he completely fell apart, and he knew exactly what he wanted that distraction to be. “Just kiss me,” he whispered, leaning toward the blond.

Luke didn’t hesitate, but he didn’t immediately throw himself into the kiss, either. He slowly pressed his lips to Nico’s, his hands just barely cupping Nico’s battered face.

At first the kiss was rather salty, with Nico’s tears sliding between the boys’ mouths. However, Luke continued to kiss Nico, even after the last of the tears dried. Luke started to pull Nico closer, but had to stop when Nico hissed in pain. Luke’s hands had dug right into one of Nico’s fresh lash marks on his back.

“Nico?” Luke asked, pulling away with mild panic.

Rather than explain, Nico simply took Luke’s hands and moved them down to his hips. His hips were safe. “A little sensitive there,” is all he muttered before bringing his lips back to Luke.

Something about kissing—or rather, making out with—Luke pushed all of Nico’s problems onto the backburner temporarily. They were still there, and he knew it, but they didn’t weigh on him quite so heavily.

He supposed that was foolish.

His problems could never disappear.

And sometimes, Nico looked up and found his problem staring at him through the passenger window with fire in his eyes.

“Holy shit,” he tore away from Luke in an instant, just as Hades di Angelo threw open the car door.

“What the fuck is this?” He crossed around the front of the car and yanked Luke’s car door open as well, grabbing the blond’s arm and dragging him from the vehicle. In a panic, Nico scurried out after him.

Hades shoved Luke down into the street and grabbed Nico by the neck. “I come to your room looking for you and you aren’t there. Now I find you in front of our family home, disgracing our name by acting like a goddamn fucking faggot?”

Luke found his way back to his feet. “Mr. di Angelo, let go of him.”

Nico’s eyes scanned the streets, looking for anyone, one single person who could come to their aid.

But they were alone.

Hades turned to Luke, keeping his fingers locked around Nico’s throat. “ _You,”_ he spat. “You come into _my_ house. Make nice with _my_ family. All you really wanted was to turn my son into some rotten fag, is that it? Think you could get away with it, with that pretty boy face of yours?” He dropped Nico suddenly and grabbed Luke by the shoulders, slamming him into his own car door. Hades drove his knee right into Luke’s crotch, making the teenager double over in pain.

A fist to the face and Luke lost his footing all together and fell to his knees with an agonized groan. “Father, leave him alone,” Nico pleaded, even as the older man’s fist connected with Luke’s face again. The teenager spit blood onto the street. He held up his hands in defense, trying to block his face.

For a terrifying moment, Hades smiled. “Go inside, Nico.”

No. No. Nico needed to stop this. His father would beat Luke half to death if Nico couldn’t regain his attention. As Hades prepared to strike Luke again, Nico threw himself between them, a punch hitting him square in the jaw. _Shit._ He was still tender from the beating his face had taken earlier. “He’s not poison. The only poison in my life is _you,_ ” he spat.

His father seethed with rage as he looked down at his son. _Good,_ he thought. _Focus on me and not Luke._

“Excuse me?” His father practically growled.

The beaten boy stood tall. “Luke did nothing, Dad. I was already gay.” His voice cracked as the last word left his mouth. The way he saw it, he had nothing to lose. There was no way to deny it without throwing Luke under the bus.

Hades’ face flushed red with anger. “You’re a fucking liar. No son of mine is a goddamn homo.”

“But I am. And you can do whatever you want to me, just let Luke go.” He glanced down at the blond, who had yet to return to his feet.

Nico’s father locked an arm around his son and drove his fist repeatedly into his gut. “Take it back,” he commanded, hitting Nico’s stomach so hard he vomited.

Nico didn’t take it back, though. Instead, he turned to Luke in absolute panic and urged him silently to run. Before he could see if the blond took his advice, however, his head hit the street.

Everything went dark.

He awoke to the sound of Luke’s begging. Nico saw him, only a few feet away. Had he looked so rough a few seconds ago? Or had it been a few minutes? Nico didn’t know. He didn’t even know how long it had been, how much damage had been done.

Hades had Luke pinned to the car, preventing any chance of the blond’s escape, even as Luke struggled. His nose was bleeding, the skin under his eye had broken open under the force of one of Hades’ punches, or at least, so Nico guessed.

“Let’s un-pretty that face, shall we?” The man said in a low, cruel voice.

That was when Nico noticed the pocket knife in his father’s hand.

In the minute following, Nico was not sure who screamed louder—him… or Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh* I wish this story had a happy ending, I really do. I grew to love what Luke and Nico had, even if it was only temporary and never serious. Alas, not all stories have happy endings, and it's not like we didn't all know how this one would end. If Nico and Luke had stayed together, then Jasico would have never happened! 
> 
> Also, wow, doesn't it hurt to read about how much Nico loves Bianca? I hated myself while writing the last half of this fic. I really did. 
> 
> Finally, the things that happen in this prequel, a lot of the things, will be coming up in Murder Suspect later. I'm pretty excited about that. Speaking of Murder Suspect, I'm going to go work some more on chapter 20 now so... Bye! As always, thanks for reading! And thanks again to my Italian translator on Tumblr, oh-nothing-important. There wasn't much Italian in this chapter but I really appreciate being able to go to you with any questions I have!


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